Hunt For the Crystals
by The Create Card
Summary: After 10,000 years, 8 crystals have risen from the Earth and assumed the forms of 8 beasts. It's up to Sakura and her friends to restore the crystals, but are there others searching as well? Contains characters from other series also. Updated with the epi
1. Prologue

Author's Note: This is a little something that just popped into my head. It's a long quest and it will contain a couple of cameos from other animated series (both anime and non-anime). Make no mistake about it, though. The main protagonists are our CCS characters (and one more hero from the anime universe). It'll be a long story with many twists and turns. Hope you all like it!

  


**Hunt For the Crystals: Prologue**

  


One month away. The time for college was quickly approaching and the eighteen-year old Sakura Avalon couldn't be more excited. Time was flying fast and Sakura was ready to cherish the time she had left by spending it with her friends…especially Li Shoran.

"Are you two going out again?" Kero, the little guardian beast, asked.

"We're only meeting at the coffee shop," Sakura replied. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"You've seen him every night this week," Kero pointed out.

"I don't see anything wrong with that," Sakura said. "Maybe Tori does, but I don't."

"I'm just saying…"

Sakura held her hand up. "Wait…" She walked over and opened up her window. Sure enough, Li Shoran came sliding in. "You really have to stop doing that, Li."

"Am I becoming predictable?" Li asked.

"At least you didn't wake me up this time," Kero observed dryly.

Sakura wrapped her arms around Li and gave him a kiss. "Ready?"

"I'm ready," Li replied with a smile. "Um…we should go out through the window. I don't want your brother finding me here."

It was a good point. Tori would probably tear Li apart if he found him here alone in Sakura's room. Tori had yet to get over the fact that Sakura and Li were a couple. So Sakura took his advice and climbed out through the window.

It was a great time to be alive for Sakura. There were no worries in the summertime. There was nothing to worry about: no school, no work, and, most importantly, NO MAGIC! Sakura could worry about just being an ordinary girl and after all she had endured in her lifetime…the idea sounded sweet.

  


~--------------------~

  


It's only been a few weeks since he landed on this planet called Earth. But the green humanoid alien, Xander, has managed to successfully blend in as a human with his human disguise. Usually he wouldn't set foot on a planet such as this one. Personally, he'd rather be back on the ship searching for another world, but that's not what his superior had planned.

His superior had informed him that ten thousand years had passed and that meant it was time. The eight crystals were about to emerge from their inert states and now was the time to take them all.

Suddenly, Xander's communicator beeped. He looked around and made sure no one was around, then he ducked into an alley and answered it. In the small screen was an old, deteriorated-looking green humanoid. He was a bitter alien, never smiled, and had sought this day for a long time.

"This is Xander."

_"Has the machine been activated?"_

"No, Shuma. It's still off."

_"Then the crystals have not yet risen. You know what to do, Xander. Your mission is to find and recover the eight crystals so that I may put them to good use. To benifit our civilization."_

"What are the crystals supposed to do, Shuma? Will they help us find a new home?"

_"I will explain it all to you once you have them. Do not fail, Xander. Our entire population is depending on you."_

"Just what am I dealing with here? You haven't told me what these crystals even look like."

_"The crystals rise every ten thousand years and they don't come out in the form of crystals. They are crystals of eight elements and they come out in the form of fierce creatures. It is only through an ancient Earth incantation that the creatures return to their crystal form."_

"What do these things do, anyway?"

_"I'm getting to that! Whomever places the eight crystals together is granted one wish."_

"I get it. We can use that one wish…to find us a new home."

_"Oh…yes…home. You just be sure to find those crystals, Xander. When the device comes on, then that means the crystals have risen and morphed into their animalistic forms."_

There was one more detail Xander needed. "Um…what's that ancient Earth incantation?"

Through the screen, Shuma grinned.

_"It goes like this…"_

But before Shuma could say anything, Xander felt a vibration coming from the pocket of his Earth jeans. He pulled out another device…that suddenly turned on.

That meant…it was time.

  


~--------------------~

  


Sakura calmly sipped on her mocha latte. It was a nice time to take a time out with Li and just talk. And it was a long conversation. Sakura had just come back a few days ago from being stuck in a pyramid in Egypt, an experience that still blew her mind. Meanwhile, Li just came back from Hong Kong after helping take care of his still-ailing mother and saying goodbye to Meilin.

Finally, Sakura looked out the window. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"

Li nodded. "Yeah…really is."

Li sounded like he was out of it. Sakura had to feel for him. He had to be worried about his mother. Sakura didn't want Li's mother to die. She knew what it was like to lose a mother and she didn't want Li to feel that same pain.

Before Sakura could say anything, though, a loud explosion sounded.

"What was that?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know," Li replied. "It couldn't be anything serious…could it?"

Sakura blinked. "I…don't…know." Then she shook her head. "No…couldn't be."

Sakura figured it would be better to just shrug this off. There was no way this concerned her. How could it concern her?

  


~--------------------~

  


Lita sighed as she kept sweeping the front of the temple where her friend, Rei, lived. It was a bad time to be Lita. Her friends, Serena, Amy, Mina, and Rei, all left for a vacation in the United States, but Lita had an emergency to attend to and couldn't go. Now that the emergency was over…Lita felt bored and she felt lonely. All she could do was help keep the temple clean for Rei.

"This is so boring," Lita mumbled to herself. "I wish there was something to do."

All Lita wanted was something to do. No…she actually wanted to be with her friends, but there was no way that was going to happen. Now all she wanted was a source of excitement.

Then she heard a loud explosion.

Lita looked out towards the distance. There were seemingly a series of explosions, but she heard one coming from a place nearby.

One thing was for sure. Lita could feel she wouldn't be bored for long. She put the broom down and left the shrine. She went out…to investigate.

  


~--------------------~

  


A loud explosion.

Kero heard the explosion a few minutes ago and began to wonder. At first, he didn't make anything of it. It couldn't possibly involve him. It must have been an isolated incident. So Kero went to his desk and started to close his eyes.

"Wake up, Kero!"

Kero woke up at the sound of that. He looked towards the window…and scowled. "Suppi! Do you mind?"

Suppi flew in and shook his head. "How lazy can you be? Didn't you hear what happened outside?"

"Yeah, an explosion. So?"

Suppi glared. "Kero…don't you know what this is?"

"Um…I don't know. A bomb?"

Suppi had to be blunt. "Kero, it's been ten thousand years. Don't you remember the legend? The one Eriol shared with us?"

Kero shook his head. "Uh-uh. Doesn't ring a bell."

Suppi slapped his forehead with his paw. "The one about the crystals? THOSE crystals?"

Kero gulped. "I…thought that was just a story."

"It wasn't," Suppi growled. "It's really been ten thousand years, so we'd better check just to be sure."

"Um…shouldn't we wait for Sakura?" Kero suggested.

"We can't wait that long," Suppi answered. "If the crystals are out…then it won't be long before others go chasing after them."

Kero stopped in his tracks. "Wait…others?"

"You think we're the only ones who know about this legend?" Suppi pointed out. "While it's not fairly common, there are others who know about this legend. Others who will try to hunt down the crystals themselves."

"But it's only supposed to be a legend."

"So are magical cards."

"Uh…touché. So you want to go now?"

"YES!!!"

Suppi couldn't take wasting any more time, so he grabbed Kero by the arm and dragged him out. Kero had a hard time believing that the legend of the eight crystals was true. But if it was…then Japan, and maybe the world, would be in a lot of trouble.

Hopefully, this was nothing. But if it was…then Kero would have to tell Sakura.

  


Next Time: Well, now we have the prologue. So next time, do Kero and Suppi find crystals? And will they run into anybody in their search? And if it's true that the legend of the eight crystals is known…then who else will join the hunt for them (cough ::cameos:: cough)? And when will Sakura find out about all this? So many questions, so come back for Part 1, won't you?

  


Any comments? I'll give plenty of time for feedback, because I won't be able to update for a while (I mean it this time ^_^), so tell me what you think. Be sure to review below. I love feedback so tell me what you think. I need to know if I should continue.


	2. Meeting the Thunder Tiger

Author's Note: Although many cameos will be introduced, I feel I must include this note. Xander is an original creation of mine. Is he the main antagonist? I can't say just yet. ^_^

  


Last Time: Just an intro to the story. Ten thousand years have passed. Have eight crystals been released. A young alien's superior seems to think so, and that's why the alien (in human disguise) is on Earth. Suppi also thinks the crystals have been released, so he went to get Kero and they went out to the park. Sakura and Li…are completely unaware of all this. But they'll find out soon, won't they?

  


**Hunt For the Crystals: Episode 1**

  


The shrubbery, the walkway, the green grass. This place was certainly bigger than Penguin Park, that much was for sure. But Kero had no idea where Suppi had led him to.

"Suppi, where are we?"

The cold wind blew away at Kero's face, while the little black guardian beast known as Spinel (but always called Suppi) flew down the walkway.

"It's another park," Suppi answered. "I don't know the name, but I thought you'd have been here at least once by now."

"Are you sure this is where the explosion came from?" Kero asked.

"I'm positive."

Just then, a thought hit Kero. "Uh…Suppi…if this is as serious as you say it is…then where's Eriol?"

"He's not home," Suppi answered bitingly. "He's over at Madison's place…again. He told us not to disturb him for anything and unfortunately, as dense as she is, Nakuru is holding me to that. So I had her wait for Eriol back at the apartment."

Kero didn't argue that. Eriol was dead serious about not being disturbed during his time alone with Madison. They really hit it off since Eriol came back, and why not? They love each other. They had missed each other for so long.

Kero changed the subject back to the matter at hand. "So what are we looking for?"

"If it's true that the eight crystals have been released," Suppi began, "then they've probably assumed their animal forms. And they're very powerful."

"If they're so powerful, then why didn't we wait for Sakura?" Kero demanded. "We could have had her bring the Sakura Cards."

Suppi became more somber. "Uh…let's not let it come to that yet. Sakura's enjoying her summer so far and have you forgotten that it's only been a week since Sakura got stuck in a pyramid? Don't you think the last thing she probably wants to hear is 'the world's in danger'?"

Kero thought about that. It was a good point. "Ok, ok, you're right. Maybe this really IS nothing. Maybe the eight crystals really ARE just a legend. Maybe you're wrong on this one."

Just then, the two guardian beasts stopped in their tracks. They saw something in front of them. It was a bright yellow tiger with stripes that seemed to flow with electricity. And it roared so loud that the leaves almost fell off the nearby trees.

"Oh, no," Suppi moaned. "They ARE out!"

"Hey, I thought we were looking for crystals!" Kero pointed out.

"Haven't you been listening to me?!" Suppi snapped. "They're out and they're in their animal forms! This is the Tiger with the power of thunder."

Kero gulped. "Like a Raijou?"

"Exactly." Suppi suddenly noticed the Thunder Tiger coming towards them…and sweatdropped. "Um…maybe it IS time we go get Sakura…I mean we can't possibly handle this alone."

Kero and Suppi turned to leave, but the Tiger immediately positioned itself in front of them. They seemed to be stuck as the Tiger emitted small electrical shocks. It was ready to pounce on the two guardian beasts.

"Any ideas?" Suppi asked.

Kero knew there was only one option. As much as he hated to resort to this…it was looking like he had no choice. So he glowered as his wings began to glow a faint color…and that began the transformation.

Suppi sweatdropped. "Oh…why didn't I think of that?" Suppi also began his transformation.

To defend themselves…Kero and Suppi had to morph into their true forms. So now…it was Keroberos and Spinel Sun who stood in the face of the Thunder Tiger.

  


~--------------------~

  


It was quiet in that park with only the cold wind hitting her in the face. Lita had never been in this park before, but she knew that's where the explosion came from. And with nothing to do back in the temple, Lita was more than curious to find out what that explosion was.

"It's too quiet," she said to herself. That's how she knew she was truly bored. She was talking to herself. It's not that she wasn't used to being alone, she was. It was just that she was truly bored without her friends at her side. But she suddenly wasn't bored anymore. She saw what that explosion must have been.

Lita went behind a bush hoping the creatures didn't see her. One of them was a massive Tiger with electrical shocks emitting from the stripes. Another was a winged yellow lion with armor on its chest. The third one was a black panther with the wings of a butterfly. This was bizarre to say the least, but Lita quickly jumped to conclusions. None of this could have meant any good.

These three had to have been the source of that explosion. Were they going to wreak havoc? Lita didn't know what to do. What would her friends do? What would Serena do? Then she reached into her pocket and found her transformation pen. It had been a long time. She hadn't used it in many years. But this was an emergency. She had to do something. So she held up her transformation pen.

"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

  


~--------------------~

  


Keroberos stood face-to-face with the Thunder Tiger. It was a momentary standoff. He didn't know if he should attack it yet.

"What are we supposed do with this thing?" Keroberos asked.

"We need someone to recite the incantation to return it to its crystal form," Spinel Sun answered.

"So what's the incantation?"

"I don't know. Eriol knows it, but he never told me. And even if we DID know it, we have to weaken the Tiger first."

Keroberos shook his head. All he could do was keep this thing at bay. So he quickly unleashed a powerful breath of fire, which the Tiger jumped over using its amazing agility. Keroberos and Spinel Sun turned around just in time to sidestep a bolt of lightning that nearly struck them directly.

Spinel Sun tried to attack, but the Tiger shot out another bolt of lightning and struck him, knocking him down. Keroberos was briefly distracted and the Tiger tackled him. Keroberos quickly tossed the Tiger off, but it was ready to attack again.

"STOP!!"

Keroberos looked around. Someone was here. A stranger. Then he found her. It was a girl in a white uniform and green skirt. Yes, a green schoolgirl's uniform. She wore a tiara around her forehead and was very…tall (for a girl). Keroberos didn't know what to make of this. Spinel Sun, who was just recovering, couldn't understand this either.

The girl jumped in between the Tiger and Keroberos. "In the name of Jupiter, I will call upon the forces of love and nature…to put an end to your destruction."

Keroberos tilted his head. "Huh?"

The girl held her hands out. "Jupiter Thunder…Crash!"

Amazingly, the girl unleashed a thunder attack of her own. She must have had magic powers as well. The Tiger saw what it was up against and quickly sidestepped it. It tried to escape, but the girl was right behind it. Unfortunately, the Tiger made a huge leap…and escaped.

The girl shook her head…and turned towards Keroberos and Spinel Sun. "You two…won't get away!"

Something rang in the head of Keroberos. "Wait! You don't understand!"

"Jupiter Thunder…Crash!"

Keroberos and Spinel Sun both flew up in the air and avoided the crushing blow of the lightning attack. Knowing they wouldn't convince this girl like this, Keroberos and Spinel Sun took big risks. They changed back into their false forms just as this girl was preparing to strike again. Once again, they were Kero and Suppi.

"Hold it!" Kero shouted. "What are you, nuts?!"

The girl stopped and looked at two little guardian beasts curiously. "What…are you two supposed to be? You look like stuffed animals."

"We prefer the term 'guardian beasts'," Kero said irately. "And what are YOU supposed to be?"

"Why should I tell you?" the girl demanded. "You two were just about to destroy this park."

"We were not!" Suppi snapped. "We were trying to stop that Tiger before it got loose! But you came and messed everything up. Who are you?"

The girl scratched her head sheepishly. "Um…I'm sorry. I'm not used to going it alone. I'm…Sailor Jupiter."

Suppi gasped. "Sailor Jupiter? **THE** Sailor Jupiter? As in one of the Sailor Scouts?"

Jupiter nodded. "Uh…yeah…I'm one of the Sailor Scouts."

Suppi couldn't believe it. "But I thought the Sailor Scouts were just a myth. I didn't think they were real."

"We're real," Jupiter frowned. "If anything, I didn't think talking stuffed animals were…um…never mind. I've seen weirder."

"How did you get here?" Kero asked.

"I heard an explosion coming from out here," Jupiter answered. "And…I came to investigate. That's when I found you two and that Tiger. But…weren't you two a lot bigger just now?"

Kero asked another question rather than answer. "YOU came to investigate? I thought there were FIVE Sailor Scouts."

Jupiter's eyes dotted. "Um…the other Scouts are away…on vacation. It's just me right now. But never mind that, what WAS that thing? Was that some kind of monster?"

"I'm not completely sure myself," Kero answered. "I think my friend might know. I'm Kero…and his name is Suppi."

Suppi growled. "IT IS NOT!!"

Jupiter blinked. "So what do you know, Suppi?"

Suppi shook his head. That name would always haunt him, no matter what. "That Tiger is the animal form of one of the legendary eight crystals."

"Eight crystals?"

Suppi knew it would be a long explanation. "Maybe I'm not the person to relay all this to you. Let me take you to someone who CAN tell you."

Kero didn't take that too well. "Wait a minute, Suppi. You want HER to help us?"

"What's wrong with her?" Suppi shot back. "She obviously has what it takes. I mean, she's a Sailor Scout for goodness sakes. What else do you want?"

"What about you-know-who?" Kero asked dryly. He was obviously referring to Sakura.

"Who said she can't help us?" Suppi pointed out. "She can help us, too. That Tiger was just the beginning, Kero. There're a lot more dangerous things like that out on the loose. We need all the help we can get. So of course we can get help from…you-know-who."

"Who are you talking about?" Jupiter suddenly asked.

Suppi just glanced at Kero. "They should be home by now. Tell them to meet us by Madison's front gate. I'll go get Eriol. And I'll take…Sailor Jupiter with me."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Kero snapped. "We have a secret, you know! You really think we can share it with a stranger?"

Suppi shook his head. "She's a Sailor Scout, Kero. If we can't trust a Sailor Scout, then who CAN we trust?"

Jupiter blinked. "Am…I missing something?"

Suppi grinned. "Any questions you have will be answered as we go along. Now come with me. I'll take you to Eriol and he can tell you everything about the eight crystals." He then glanced at Kero. "And YOU go get…them."

Suppi reached over and started dragging Sailor Jupiter away by the hand, leaving Kero by himself. Not even Kero was sure what this whole legend of the eight crystals was about. But he trusted Suppi when he said that Eriol knew all about it. So Kero had only one task. He had to go get Sakura and Li.

But he remembered how ecstatic Sakura was about her summer. She was really enjoying it (despite the minor detour through that stupid pyramid) and Kero hated to have to spoil it…

…by telling her that the world was in danger again.

  


~--------------------~

  


It's been a wonderful night thus far and Sakura hated to see it end. But now was the time for Li to take her home. So they walked down Sakura's street, hand-in-hand, and slowly came towards her front porch.

"I had a wonderful time," Sakura smiled.

"Me too," Li agreed.

Li ran a finger through Sakura's hair and they were about to share a kiss…when…

"Sakura!"

Sakura's euphoria faded and it was replaced with anger. She looked to her left to see she was being interrupted by Kero. The little guardian beast was panting…as if he had been out all night. Sakura started to feel suspicious. Had he been spying on her?

"What do you want?" Li asked angrily.

"We've…got an emergency," Kero answered reluctantly.

"What is it?" Sakura asked curiously.

"I don't know the whole story myself," Kero replied. "All I can tell you is…the world's in danger."

Those words echoed in the head of Sakura. Mere seconds ago, she was having a wonderful time with the love of her life, Li Shoran. Now Kero was telling her that the world was in peril. This wasn't supposed to happen. This was supposed to be her summer vacation. Why couldn't she just be a NORMAL GIRL?!

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked. "Kero…what's going on?"

"Like I said, I don't know the whole story myself. But Eriol does, so we all have to meet by Madison's front gate. I'm sure we'll learn everything there."

Sakura and Li exchanged glances. Something was going on and neither one had any idea what. All they knew…was that things were going to get a lot more interesting. And they would learn everything from their friend, Eriol. Still holding hands, Sakura and Li walked away. Their destination: Madison's house.

Kero quickly caught up to them. "Wait, Sakura! You'd…better take the Sakura Cards. I have a feeling you're going to need them now…more than ever."

  


~--------------------~

  


A night alone. That's all that Madison Taylor was aiming for tonight and so far that's what she got. Her mother, having been called away on business, had no clue that Eriol was inside the house right now and maybe it was better that way. When Madison's mother found her kissing Eriol, she practically threw a fit.

Now they were alone together. Eriol leaned over and kissed Madison again. It was such a beautiful night and Madison was so happy that no one was there to interrupt.

"Eriol?"

Until now. The kiss broke and Eriol and Madison spied a certain guardian beast sitting on the windowsill.

"Not now, Suppi," Eriol muttered sourly.

"Um…Eriol, we've got a big problem."

"I'm in the middle of something," Eriol persisted. Frankly, Madison would have said something as well. But such displays of anger weren't in the polite young girl's nature.

"Eriol…we need you out here. It's IMPORTANT!"

Eriol let out a frustrated huff and turned around. "WHAT IS IT?!"

Suppi took his time. "It's been ten thousand years, Eriol…and the crystals are loose."

Eriol had a mortified expression on his face. Madison frowned. She never saw such a grim look on her man's face before. Whatever this meant…whatever these crystals were…it must have been something horrible.

"The world's in danger," Eriol said. "Have you told Sakura?"

"I had Kero tell her," Suppi answered. "She'll be here and so will Li."

Madison tugged on Eriol's sleeve. "Eriol…is there something I should know?"

"I'll explain everything," Eriol sighed. "And believe me…it's a very long story."

  


Next Time: Eriol explains the meaning of the crystals in detail. And the search for the eight crystals begins.

  


Any comments? Go ahead and mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below.


	3. The Legend of the Crystals

Last Time: Kero and Suppi encountered one of the crystals in its animal form and fought it in their true forms. But who knew that Sailor Jupiter would make an unexpected appearance? After the Tiger escaped, Suppi decided it was time to inform Sakura and get all the information from Eriol. Not only that, but Suppi also asked Jupiter for her assistance. One question remains. What are these crystals all about?

  


**Hunt For the Crystals: Episode 2**

  


It was an unusually cold night outside Madison's front gate. Sakura shuddered in the night, but was warmed by the arms of her love, Li Shoran. There was no one out there it seemed. Eriol wasn't out and he was apparently the one who had all the answers about what this new threat was.

"Where is he?" Sakura asked. "I want to find out what this is all about." Then Sakura looked around. Someone was missing. "Kero…where'd you go?"

The little guardian beast was out seemingly searching for something. "I know Suppi has her around here somewhere. There's no way he could sneak her in."

"Who are you looking for?" Li asked.

"Um…maybe I can answer that," another voice said. It was Suppi and he was just flying out from inside Madison's estate. He looked around for that other guest. "Hey, where'd you go?"

"I'm over here!"

Everyone looked up to see a tall girl standing atop the brick wall bordering Madison's estate. The girl, dressed in a white uniform and green skirt, jumped down and skillfully landed right beside Suppi. Sakura was amazed by the girl's grace. But who was this girl?

"Who are you?"

The girl just looked at Sakura and Li curiously. "Who are YOU?"

Kero groaned. "Suppi, haven't you explained to her who they are yet?"

"She might have a hard time believing it," Suppi tried explaining.

"Oh, of course," Kero said sarcastically. "Something like a Sailor Scout is MUCH more believable. What was *I* thinking?"

Sakura gasped. "Sailor Scout? Kero, what are you talking about?"

The girl spoke up. "He means…I'm a Sailor Scout. I'm Sailor Jupiter."

Sakura didn't say anything at first, because she saw two more shocked expressions by Madison's front gate. Madison and Eriol were just in time to hear the introduction and they were dumbfounded. And why wouldn't they be? Everyone was in shock. Sakura always believed the Sailor Scouts were just a myth. No one ever thought they were real.

"A Sailor Scout?" Eriol asked.

Madison…instinctively went for her camera. "I didn't think Sailor Scouts were real. Oh…this is unbelievable! Could you give me one pose?"

Sailor Jupiter saw the camera being pointed at her…and sweatdropped. She gave a nervous chuckle and smiled sheepishly into the camera.

Suddenly, Jupiter came to a realization. "Wait a minute…this is all so weird. Who are all of you?"

Sakura didn't want to say anything. Even if she WAS a Sailor Scout, Sakura couldn't say anything about…being the Card Mistress, could she? She looked at Li, who just shrugged. She then looked at Kero and he just shook his head…and glared at Suppi.

Suppi sighed. "We can trust her, Kero. Let's just tell her. What harm could it do?"

Kero gave in. He flew in between Sakura and Jupiter and had the Sakura Card book float out. The book opened up and the Sakura Cards began to float around him, a trick he usually liked to do.

"This is Sakura, a seemingly normal girl. Except for the fact that she's a very powerful sorceress who controls the power of these 52 cards, known as the Sakura Cards. These 52 cards were once created by an ancient and powerful sorcerer known as Clow Reed and the cards control elements such as Earth, Wind, and Light among other things. Sakura has successfully mastered the art of using these cards and is destined to be their mistress for as long as she lives.

"This is Li and he's a direct descendent of Clow Reed. At first he was Sakura's rival, but after being around her for a while, Li decided to help Sakura on her quest. And eventually…they fell in love with each other. Oh, yeah. And he's kind of a brat."

Li scowled. "Stupid stuffed animal."

Eriol decided to cut in. "I'm Eriol…and I'm a reincarnation of Clow Reed…as strange as that may sound to you."

Jupiter shook her head. "No…I've gotten to know some reincarnations. In fact…I'm a reincarnation myself."

That made Sakura's head spin. It took a long time for it to sink in to her that Eriol and her father were both reincarnations of Clow Reed. Now she was finding out Jupiter was a reincarnation herself. Jupiter, whom Sakura had no idea even existed five minutes ago.

Madison looked like she was feeling out of place. "Um…me…my name's Madison. But…I'm just a normal person. I have no magic of my own."

Eriol quickly gave Madison a peck on the cheek. "But she's still a special person."

"And the best friend a girl could ever have," Sakura added.

Madison blushed. Despite not having any magic of her own, her friends still managed to make her feel special. She was just as much a part of the team as everyone else.

Jupiter crossed her arms. "Um…ok, we all know each other now. So…anyone want to tell me what we're going up against?"

That served as a reminder for Sakura and it got her focused again. "Eriol…what's this all about? Is the world really in trouble?"

Eriol nodded. "Yes. It's been ten thousand years. And the eight crystals have emerged once again."

"So what ARE these eight crystals?" Sakura asked.

"It was a long time ago," Eriol began. "I remember hearing about the legend of the eight crystals…back when I lived as Clow Reed. The legend begins that there were eight crystals were buried together deep beneath the land currently known as Japan. Every ten thousand years, the crystals would rise out from their burial plot and assume the forms of eight fearsome beasts, each with their own power.

"One holds the power of Thunder, like the one Kero and Suppi found. The others hold the power of Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Darkness, Speed, and Strength respectively. Each of these eight creatures will wander Japan, occasionally wreaking havoc. The only way to stop them is to weaken them and then recite an incantation to restore them to their crystal forms.

"Once all eight have been restored to their crystal forms, they can be put together and the one who pieces them back together…will be granted a wish. The crystals will grant that wish before returning into the Earth from whence they came."

Sakura gulped. "That means we have to get them back, don't we?"

"It gets worse than that," Eriol responded. "It's not because of the eight beasts that the world is in danger. The thing is…the legend of the eight crystals isn't exactly the best kept secret in the world. There are others who might be familiar with it, and if they know that it's been ten thousand years, then they might be after the crystals as well. And if evil possesses the crystals…then I hate to think of what might happen."

Now the reality of the whole situation began to hit Sakura. These eight crystals had the power to grant one wish and if an evil person grabbed the crystal…then that wish could lead to disaster. Disaster the likes of which the world had never seen.

Sakura looked at the Sakura Card book in her hand. "It's up to me."

Kero sighed. "Well…I was the one who said you should use your magic more often, Sakura. But I've got to admit…this wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

Eriol glanced at the tall girl in front of him. "Well…if it helps…I think we might not be alone on this one."

Sailor Jupiter looked a little nervous. "You…must…mean…me. I guess I have no choice. I can't let these eight creatures just wander Japan. I just wish the other Scouts were here. But…it's just me."

Eriol walked over to Sakura. "This'll be your biggest test. You've successfully mastered the Sakura Cards…and now it's time for you to put them to use. Are you up to it, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes…but…you'll all stand beside me, right?"

Li put his arm around Sakura. "Always."

"We'd never let you go it alone, Sakura," Madison added.

Sakura looked down at the Sakura Card book once more. Her biggest test. This was supposed to be her final summer…her final NORMAL summer…before going off to college. That seemed to be no more. Sakura had to find these eight crystals…and save the world.

Madison walked over to Sailor Jupiter and handed her a cell phone. "We'll keep in touch with this. If any of us find anything…we'll contact one another with this phone."

Sailor Jupiter took the phone and pocketed it. "I'll be around if you need me. Good luck."

Before anyone could say anything, Sailor Jupiter leaped behind a bush and out of sight, leaving Sakura and her friends alone. The stage was set for a new quest. But there was only one question remaining…

"Where do we go from here?" Sakura asked.

"I don't think we have much time," Kero answered. "We'd better start looking for one of those eight creatures. I mean…how hard could it be to find one of those things?"

Sakura couldn't help but feel a little tension. Her new quest was about to begin. It was time to go.

"WAIT!" Madison shouted suddenly.

"What is it, Madison?" Sakura asked.

Madison's face suddenly brightened. "I…have been waiting for a day like this for long time. Sakura…I have a special costume for you!"

Sakura couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat. A normal life? No way. It was just like old times.

  


~--------------------~

  


For anyone else, this might have been unusual. But Sakura was used to Madison's taste in costumes and…she had to admit that this looked kind of cute. The green costume looked like something out of Robin Hood or Peter Pan. Sakura really liked it and she thought the pointed hat was a nice touch, even though the tights were kinda…tight. There was something about the material that felt…unusual. It didn't feel like cloth. It felt like something else.

It was a quiet night in Penguin Park and hardly a creature was stirring. Except, of course, for Sakura, Li, Eriol, Kero, Suppi, and…Madison with her camera. Not even a bird was chirping. There was no sign of any creature.

"It's too quiet out here," Sakura noted. "Kero, how do we even know where to begin looking?"

"Focus, Sakura," Kero told her. "Doesn't this place feel…unusual? Concentrate."

Sakura closed her eyes and stood silent. Something about this place WAS out of balance. As if something had been disrupting the atmosphere. But what could it be?

"Something's here," Sakura mumbled. "But what could it be?"

As soon as Sakura asked that question, a rustling was heard coming from the bushes. Something jumped out of the bush and roared loudly. It was an enormous Tiger with electricity emitting from its stripes. It had to be the Thunder Tiger.

Suppi gulped. "Oh great. It's our old buddy."

Sakura and Li stepped forward. They knew what they had to do. They had to fight this new menace. Sakura immediately went for her old Clow key.

"Key of Clow. Power of magic. Power of light. Surrender the wand. The force, ignite. Release!"

Sakura held up her wand. She was ready to make the first move and capture this first crystal, the Thunder Crystal. Unfortunately…the Thunder Tiger had other ideas. It started running passed Sakura and her friends and was quickly running out of sight.

"Hey!" Sakura shouted. "You're not supposed to run!"

"After it!" Kero added. "We can't let it escape!"

Sakura and her friends went running after the quick Tiger. They weren't getting any closer, but the Tiger wasn't getting away either.

"Um…should I make that phone call?" Madison suggested. She was referring to Sailor Jupiter.

"Not yet," Sakura replied. "I think we can take this thing ourselves!"

As experienced as Sakura was, she could also be as stubborn as she was when she was ten. She wasn't ready to call for backup just yet. Sakura wanted to try her hand at this. She was the Sakura Card Mistress. She was probably the most powerful magician on the face of the planet.

How hard could this be?

  


Next Time: Sakura finally gets that Thunder Tiger cornered, but things won't be getting any easier. Especially…when others join in the hunt for the crystals…on behalf of evil. Villains from throughout the animated universe (both anime and non-anime) will start to go after the eight crystals. And let's not forget that an alien is also looking for them. Things are set to get a lot more chaotic starting in the next part, so come back for that.

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	4. Facing the Thunder Tiger

Last Time: Introductions took place between our CCS heroes and one Sailor Jupiter. Then the hunt for the crystals began and Sakura finds herself chasing the Tiger representing the Thunder Crystal. Can she catch it? And…will others chase after the crystals as well?

  


**Hunt For the Crystals: Part 3**

  


The Thunder Tiger was starting to create a panic. The streets were clearing quickly. People actually thought they were seeing a real tiger. Sakura could only look at the bright side. At least they didn't know that this was a magical Tiger. Things could have been much worse.

The Tiger crept towards the empty promenade. With the promenade empty, Sakura and her friends had the open space needed to do whatever was necessary. The Tiger finally took the hint and stopped running. It turned around and faced everyone. Sakura and Li took a step forward, motioning for Madison and Eriol to step back.

"Thunder," Li muttered. "We can stop thunder, right?"

Sakura nodded. It was time for her to make the first move. "Windy!"

Sakura threw out Windy. Windy flew over and tried to wrap herself around the Tiger. That wasn't doing much good, because the Tiger was roaring and charging up its electricity. The Tiger emitted high voltage, shrugging Windy off.

Li shook his head. "Remember what I told you the first day we met? Windy can't stand up to Thunder."

"It was worth a try," Sakura replied, recalling Windy. Then another idea hit her. Sakura recalled the day she sealed the Thunder Card seven years ago. She remembered exactly which card she used, so she reached for it.

"Shadow Card!"

The Tiger took a step back as Shadow rose up and completely covered it. It was going just like it was seven years ago…but Sakura's luck didn't last. The Tiger brightened immensely and shot out tremendous electricity, thrusting Shadow away.

"It didn't work!" Sakura gasped.

The Tiger was now coming closer and was poised to attack. Sakura was quickly running out of options.

  


~--------------------~

  


Lita couldn't believe how late she was getting home. It would take her hours to get back home, but since she was living with her four friends (who were all on vacation) there wasn't really anyone to worry about her. Still, Lita didn't want to be out in the streets too late, so she kept moving forward, trying to take a shortcut through the promenade…which was eerily empty.

"Kero! Now what?!"

Lita stopped. She couldn't believe what she was seeing in front of her. It was that Tiger again and it was in the midst of a fight…with that Sakura Avalon girl. Lita was immediately ready to go and she had her transformation pen prepared.

"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

  


~------------------~

  


Sakura didn't know what else could stand up to Thunder. The Thunder Tiger tried to shoot its electrical bolts at her.

"Fly!"

Sakura took to the sky and the Tiger aimed more shots at her. The Tiger was distracted and Li tried to take an open shot. When the Tiger had its back to him, Li made his move.

"Now, element: Wind!"

Li's wind spell tried to contain the Thunder Tiger. It wasn't working. The Tiger only turned around and roared in fury. It had its eyes focused on Li now. Seeing her love in danger, Sakura landed and ran to the Tiger. She swung her wand forward. But without the tremendous force of Power, all the swing did was get the Tiger's attention.

The Thunder Tiger made its move. It shot a lightning bolt directly at Sakura. Sakura closed her eyes and covered her head, expecting the impact to be dreadfully painful. But when she opened her eyes…she was relatively unscathed. There were only a few bruises.

"Sakura!" Madison called out. "I made your costume out of rubber! It can't conduct electricity!"

Something occurred to Sakura. That's why the costume felt so weird. It wasn't made of cloth. It was made of rubber.

The Thunder Tiger snarled and moved closer to Sakura, but another lightning bolt shot out. But this one didn't come from the Tiger. It came from out in the distance. Sakura looked over and saw that the bolt didn't come from Li, either. She looked farther and saw a figure in the shadows…who came out to reveal herself as Sailor Jupiter.

"We have some unfinished business, Tiger," Jupiter said boldly.

The Tiger found itself surrounded, but it turned to face Jupiter. Sakura took a step back and found her opportunity. She reached in and released her next plan of action.

"Power Card! Grant your power to this wand! Power Card! Release and dispel!"

The Tiger heard the sudden noise of Power being released and turned around. It turned around just in time to see Sakura swinging her wand directly on the Thunder Tiger's head. The Tiger fell in a heap this time and was knocked out.

Sakura called out to her friends. "Eriol! Now what do we do?!"

Eriol calmly walked towards the Tiger. "We return to its crystal form…like this." Eriol kneeled over the fallen Tiger. "Return to thy form which thou should be…Thunder Crystal!"

A light enveloped the Thunder Tiger and when the light cleared, there was only a yellow crystal that remained. Eriol picked up the crystal and handed it to Sakura.

"This is it?" Sakura asked.

Eriol nodded. "We need seven more. Once we have them, we can put them together and end this. Keep it safe, Sakura. You never know who else might come looking for these crystals."

Sakura knew where to keep the crystal. She kept it in her pocket. "I'll keep it safe, Eriol." Then she saw Jupiter. "How did you know we were here?"

Jupiter sweatdropped. "I…was trying to get home. But I might have gotten lost along the way. I just happened to be passing by." She shook off the sweat. "But you know, I realized something. Maybe this isn't the best time to be going home. I have a feeling I should stick around. But…where would I stay?"

As if on cue, everyone looked at Madison.

Madison blinked. "I'm out of guesthouses. They're being fumigated. I already need Li to stay in another room."

"What about you, Sakura?" Eriol suggested.

Sakura shook her head. "I can't. How can I ask my dad to let a Sailor Scout stay at my house?"

Jupiter put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Um…what if I show you…who I really am?"

Sakura looked at Jupiter curiously. "You mean…you'd show me your secret? You really don't have to."

"You already showed me your secret," Jupiter smiled. "It's only fair that I return the favor."

Sailor Jupiter took one step back…and began the transformation back. When it was all over, all that remained was a tall redhead…with emerald green eyes just like Sakura's. She looked to be Sakura's age.

"Well…" she said bashfully. "This is me. My name's Lita."

Sakura didn't know what to say. All she knew so far was that even though they hardly knew each other, Sakura and Lita had already shared their most important secrets. Sakura had revealed herself as the Card Mistress and Lita had revealed herself as Sailor Jupiter.

"You look so…normal," Li mumbled.

"So do you," Lita shot back. "But it's obvious you're not. I guess that's one thing we all have in common. We all have secret lives." She smiled pleadingly. "So…can I stay with any of you tonight?"

Sakura wasn't sure what her father would think of her bringing Lita home. She could always say that it was a friend…he hadn't met. It could work. But it wouldn't last long.

"One night," Sakura said. "Well…maybe two." Sakura's face brightened. "It would be fun to get to know you. Let me just make that phone call home, but I don't think my dad will have any problem."

Sakura could practically those fateful words echoing in her head. Expect the unexpected. And this was certainly unexpected. Sakura didn't expect to have a new friend sleep over tonight. But that's what was happening.

But it wasn't just a friend sleeping over…it was a partner.

  


~--------------------~

  


From his position in the dark alley, Xander saw the fearsome Thunder Tiger get taken down by this group of Earth people. The girl with the wand was particularly strong. Getting the eight crystals might not be as easy as Xander originally thought. So he took his communicator and made contact with the ship.

_"Do you have something to report, Xander?"_

"I've found the first crystal, Shuma. But I've encountered a problem."

_"And what is this problem?"_

"Someone else is chasing after the crystals. A girl and her friends. A girl who possesses magic and calls herself a…Sakura Card Mistress? And another girl who calls herself a…Sailor…Scout?"

_"Hmm…these Earth people must possess great power. I have a plan. Let these Earth people do the dirty work. Let them put themselves in the face of danger to recover the crystals. You must stand by, Xander. Watch them closely. Once they are close to reaching their ultimate goal, you steal the crystals and report back to where you first embarked on your journey. The ship will come back for you."_

"S-Stealing? You want me to steal from them? They're powerful, Shuma. I wouldn't stand a chance. I'm just a humanoid. I have no special powers."

_"You don't need special powers. They need not see you at all. All you have to do is sneak in and steal the crystals when their guard is down."_

It sounded like a plan. Xander just didn't want to get caught. All he wanted was those crystals so that his people could find a new world. He had to do whatever was necessary, even if it meant taking from these powerful Earth people.

"I'll do it, Shuma. I'll move in just before they take the eighth crystal."

_"You do that, Xander. I will remain here if you need further assistance."_

The communication feed went out and Xander was alone again. The Earth people were moving out and Xander was all alone in that dark alley. He could only hope this Earth girl known as 'Sakura' could find these crystals.

  


~--------------------~

  


**The Next Day**

The streets of Reedington were almost empty. People were scarce and it was just as well. Even if he was in another country, the sinister Dr. Otto Octavius did not want to be seen. A few days had passed since Octavius, otherwise known as Dr. Octopus, had escaped from Ravencroft in New York City and he hoped to go into hiding. But Doc Ock was surprised to find a helicopter waiting for him briefly after his escape. The helicopter brought him to Japan where someone wanted to meet with him. Ock had a sneaking suspicion who that someone was.

Doc Ock stopped by a coffee shop where there were a few people, but they wouldn't know who he was. Clad in a brown trench coat, his four metal 'tentacles' were cleverly hidden. All that remained was to wait for his benefactor.

"Ah, Doctor Octavius. I trust you had a pleasant trip."

Sure enough, it was just as Ock had expected. A large individual took a seat across the table and sat on two chairs. He was enormous, but he only had an amazing two percent body fat. It was the former businessperson, Wilson Fisk, known in the criminal world as The Kingpin.

"I knew only you would go to such lengths to assure my escape, Fisk," Ock said. "But I have a feeling that this is not a social call."

"You know me very well, Octavius," Fisk grinned. "It is true that I have called you for an ulterior motive. I require your services."

"Forget it," Ock growled. "I work alone from now on. Every time I work with you, I end up back in prison. Why should I help you this time? What makes this so different?"

"There is one important detail you forget," Fisk persisted. "Our plans have always been foiled by Spiderman. But this time, that insipid arachnid is not even aware that we're here. There is nothing here that can stop us."

"I am not convinced," Ock scowled. "Why…should I…help you?"

"Because the rewards from this endeavor shall be most plentiful," Fisk chuckled.

"And what endeavor might that be?"

"Do you believe in ancient legends, Octavius?" Fisk asked. "As in the legend of the eight crystals?"

"I've never heard of such a legend," Ock answered. "I'm sure it's just rubbish anyhow."

"It's far from rubbish," Fisk shot back. "The legend IS true and when I heard that it's been ten thousand years, then I knew that this was the opportunity for me to have my heart's desire."

"Maybe you should tell me about this so-called legend," Ock offered.

"There were eight crystals created long ago and they were all buried deep beneath this land currently known as Japan. Every ten thousand years, the crystals would rise and assume the forms of eight fearsome creatures. The creatures would roam the lands until someone restored them to their crystal form.

"The creatures come in the form of Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Thunder, Speed, Strength, and Darkness. Whomever takes the eight crystals and connects them together will be granted one wish before the crystals return to the Earth from whence they came."

"Lovely fairy tale," Ock scoffed.

"I see you are skeptical, Doctor," Fisk grinned. He tossed a newspaper on the table. "So I offer you this."

Ock picked up the Japanese newspaper that had the picture of a tiger. The headline read that a tiger had escaped onto the streets and began roaming around.

"The tiger was never found after last night," Fisk continued. "That leads me to believe that this was the legendary Thunder Tiger, the animal form of the Thunder Crystal."

"That could have been anything," Ock remarked skeptically. "Maybe one of the zoo's tigers got loose."

"Be that as it may, I won't take that chance," Fisk growled. "If I get those eight crystals and put them together, then my one wish will be granted. I will rule the world!"

"World domination again?" Ock muttered. "How original."

Fisk grinned. "And YOU shall be handsomely rewarded for your efforts, Doctor. I shall give you a considerable chunk of my territory to rule. Let's say…I give you this land of Japan."

"It's a start," Ock said, sounding more interested. "But I would require a little more. A mission of this magnitude would have to constitute a heavier fee."

"We'll talk AFTER I have my crystals," The Kingpin said. "You just begin looking for the next crystal, Doctor. And if anyone stands in your way…eliminate them with extreme prejudice."

"It's what I do best," Ock smirked evilly. "It's a deal. I shall begin immediately. And I trust you will pick up the check?"

"I suppose I owe you that much," Fisk said dryly. He left a healthy payment for the waiter. "Just don't fail, Octavius."

The Kingpin rose out of his two chairs and walked away, his enormity a sight to behold. Ock just sat in his chair for a while reflecting on all this. He had been roped into doing more of The Kingpin's dirty work. But this sounded like it was worth it. Ock was guaranteed Japan if he succeeded and with Spiderman half a world away…

…who could possibly stand in his way?

  


~--------------------~

  


Sakura wasn't ready to wake up just yet. She was dead tired from last night after spending the whole night looking for the Thunder Tiger. After one night of intense battling, Sakura had the Thunder Crystal safely stashed in her room somewhere and was just focusing on getting some rest. But something did wake her up. It was the sound of her shower.

Sakura woke up and looked at the clock. It read 11:00 AM. Her father was doing some work at the university getting ready for the fall semester and Tori was out starting another new job. So who was using her shower?

Sakura slowly rose out of bed and walked towards her bathroom. The door was locked…obviously. So Sakura took a step back…just as the door flew open.

"AAH!"

"AAH!"

Sakura was breathing deeply. "I…forgot you were here."

Sakura did forget. When she got home the night before, she went straight to sleep, hardly talking at all. She forgot that her new friend, Lita, was there.

"I…p-probably should have asked to use your shower," Lita said sheepishly. "Sorry."

Sakura sighed. "We're obviously getting off on the wrong foot. I'm sorry, Lita. Hey…maybe we can get to know each other. We have the whole day to ourselves."

"We do?" Lita asked surprisingly. "Where is everybody?"

"Well, my dad's at the university and my brother's working, so…it's just us."

Lita smiled. "That's great. I know there's a lot I want to know about you."

"And there's a lot I want to know about you."

****RING****

"Excuse me," Sakura grinned. She picked up her phone. "Hello?"

_"Sakura?"_

"Hey, Madison! What's up?"

_"We've got trouble. It's all over the news. There's a bear running around downtown. And this doesn't look like the average bear."_

"Sounds like a crystal to me. Should we all meet downtown?"

_"We'd better not. What if someone sees us? Meet over by Li's guesthouse. I have…a little something to keep us inconspicuous."_

Sakura felt something in the pit of her stomach. Her best friend had something in her artistic mind and Sakura was very curious to see what it was. Obviously, since this was Madison, it wouldn't be anything ordinary.

"Ok, we'll meet you there as soon as we can, Madison. I'll see you there."

Sakura hung up and saw that look of curiosity on Kero and Lita's face.

"I guess it's better we get this out of the way early," Kero tried saying. "Are you girls ready?"

Sakura and Lita eyed each other for a moment. It was time for the Sakura Card Mistress and the lone Sailor Scout to work together again. But this time against a Bear that represented…who knows what.

Sakura nodded. "Let's go."

  


Next Time: Sakura and her friends confront this Bear. Which crystal does the Bear represent? Doctor Octopus and Xander are also hunting for the crystals, but is there anyone else searching for them? Surprises are coming, so you don't want to miss the next parts!

  


Author's Note: Ok, readers, I need an opinion. There will be others from other series coming in later on in this story. The question is this. I know that our main protagonists are our CCS characters, but should I keep this story in the CCS section, or move it on to the Crossover section? The choice is ultimately yours, because you're the ones who are reading this. So in addition to your review, please tell me if I should keep this story in the CCS section or move it to the Crossover section.

  


The choice is yours.

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	5. The Second Crystal Beast

Last Time: Sakura and her friends successfully recovered the Thunder Crystal and Sailor Jupiter revealed her identity to Sakura. The infamous Doctor Octopus landed and was given an offer: find the crystals and rule Japan. Xander made contact with his spaceship and was given specific instructions: wait until the moment before Sakura pieces the eight crystals and steal them. And now a Bear is roaming downtown. It's time for Sakura to make her move again.

  


**Hunt For the Crystals: Episode 4**

  


Sakura was in a hurry to get to Madison's front gate. When she got there…it was a different story. She wasn't in such a hurry anymore. Because sure enough, Madison had a new costume ready for Sakura. Madison dragged Sakura to the nearby van and gently coaxed her inside. Sakura found one costume hanging right in the middle and when she saw it…she sweatdropped.

Sakura changed (albeit reluctantly) into her new costume and threw the van door open. Madison squealed and had her camera out. Eriol and Lita exchanged inquisitive glances. Li raised an eyebrow. Kero and Suppi…just stared in amazement. Sakura wore a yellow spandex costume with black stripes on the back. There was a yellow hat with two small pointy ears on top. All in all, it made Sakura look like…a Pikachu.

Sakura held up… "Madison…was the tail really necessary?"

"I think the tail makes you look cute," Madison grinned. "It completes the ensemble."

Kero looked into the camera. "I don't think downtown has much time left. We'd better get moving."

Madison reached into her purse. "Wait! I have one more thing!"

Madison took out a small pink mask that she put over Sakura's eyes. She took out another mask, a green one, and walked over to Li. She put it over his face, leaving more quizzical stares.

"What's this for, Madison?" Li asked.

"We have to be realistic, Li," Madison explained. "There's a bear all over downtown. It's got the public's eye. We have to disguise ourselves."

"Wasn't the costume disguise enough?" Eriol smirked.

"You know what I mean," Madison frowned. "We have to make sure we're not recognized…or else we might blow our secret."

It hadn't hit Sakura until this moment. Eight years later and Sakura was still keeping secrets. But Madison made a valid point. At least the Clow Cards were somewhat inconspicuous. These crystals were out in public and creating a disturbance. Sakura had to do something. She was the only one who could stand up to this menace.

"Then we're all ready," Sakura said. "Let's go."

Everyone stepped out…except for Lita. Everyone turned back as if to ask what she was waiting for.

Lita held up a small wand-like pen. "Give me a minute."

  


~--------------------~

  


By this time, the streets of downtown had been cleared. Then he found his target. It was a bear, but this wasn't the average bear. The Bear was a bright brown and had what looked like a crystal imprinted on its back. It looked to be an unusual Bear…a Bear containing one of the eight crystals. It obviously had a special power, but Doctor Octopus was confident he could handle it…sort of.

THIS was the simple task The Kingpin had called him for? It obviously wasn't going to be easy, but the rewards would be plentiful. If it was true that the eight crystals would grant one wish…then that wish would belong to Doc Ock. Forget what Fisk wanted. This was OCK'S chance to take over the world. HIS chance to rule supreme over the entire world.

Ock had the incantation ready. All that remained was to weaken this Bear. So he walked down that street.

"Hey, Bear!"

The Bear turned around and faced Ock. Doc Ock removed his brown trench coat to reveal the four metal tentacles strapped to his back.

"I believe it is time to see which is the superior being: the Bear or the Octopus?"

Ock quickly lunged one of his metal tentacles at the Bear. Unfortunately, the Bear caught it…and pulled Ock towards it. The Bear stood upright and lifted Doc Ock in the air and spun him around. Then the Bear threw Doctor Octopus…HIGH into the air. Ock flew until he finally landed ten blocks away from where the Bear had tossed him. Ock stayed down on the ground momentarily, weakly lifting an arm.

"Obviously…the Bear…represents…Strength…ugh…"

Ock let his arm down. Maybe he would be better off catching his breath.

  


~--------------------~

  


Sakura and her friends slowly made their way down the now-abandoned street. Sakura had her wand primed and ready for action, but there wasn't much of it going on at the moment. It felt like a ghost town and Sakura could feel the cold wind brushing against her arms and she shivered. But things weren't silent for long. Sakura suddenly heard the roaring of a large Bear. The Bear looked like it had a bright brown coat, but also had a crystal imprinted on its back.

It was obvious they'd need a strategy. No one could just rush in and immediately rush this enormous Bear. But Sailor Jupiter did just that. She ran right in the Bear's path.

"Hold it, Bear! You're not going anywhere!"

The Bear angrily stood upright and picked up Jupiter. Then it tossed her straight into the air…HIGH into the air. Jupiter almost went out of sight…before she came falling straight down. Sakura realized that her new friend would hit VERY hard, so she reached for one of her cards.

"Float Card! Break Jupiter's fall! Float Card! Release and dispel!"

The screaming Sailor Jupiter was saved just in the nick of time. Jupiter slowly descended until she landed safely on the ground. But she was practically white with fear. It was as if she was scared to death.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice quivering. "I felt like I was launched out of a cannon."

Eriol looked at the Bear out in the distance. "I think we have our Strength Crystal. A Strength Bear."

Madison glanced at Sakura. "What do we always do when faced with a situation like this, Sakura?"

Sakura's face brightened. "A challenge!"

Sakura calmly walked towards the huge Bear, but Li didn't look confident. Li quickly tried to catch up to Sakura, but she wasn't stopping for anything.

"Sakura…I know this is what you always do when faced with this situation, but think about it. Has it ever actually WORKED before?"

Sakura stopped in her tracks and shot Li a cold glare. "I can do it this time! I'm sure of it!"

"How do you even know the Bear will cooperate?" Eriol pointed out.

Sakura didn't know that answer for sure. All she could do was assume (and hope) that the Strength Bear had a big ego. Sakura walked over to the rampaging Bear and tried to stop his destruction.

"Stop, Bear!"

The Bear turned around and let out a fierce roar. Just as it did with Jupiter, the Bear picked up Sakura and hurled her straight into the air. Sakura suddenly looked down to see how far the ground beneath her was. It would be a long fall and a hard drop. As Sakura began falling, she reached in for her saving grace.

"Fly!"

Sakura saved herself by flying on her wand just before she hit the pavement. Rather than take her chances with the surly Bear, Sakura flew back to her friends.

"Maybe this won't be as easy as I thought," Sakura said with a sweatdrop.

"Any other ideas?" Kero asked.

Sakura glanced at the Bear again. "I may not be able to challenge it. But I can still beat it at its own game."

Li looked on skeptically. "Sakura…you don't mean…"

Sakura reached in for another card. "Power Card! Let your power flow through me! Power! Release and dispel!"

When Power released, Sakura was flowing with the auras of the Power Card and of herself. As her pink aura glowed, Sakura walked down the street and approached the Bear once more.

"Stand by," was all Sakura told her friends. She might need help on this one and she needed her friends to be ready to help.

Sakura struck first. She swung her empowered wand at the Bear and momentarily knocked it down. The Bear got up and glared at Sakura with a fire in its eyes. Sakura had enraged it further.

The fight was about to begin.

  


~--------------------~

  


Xander stood by in the alley and saw this brave Earth girl just approach the Strength Bear. There seemed to be no fear in her eyes and she seemed to know exactly what she was getting into. What surprised him was how boldly she swung her wand at the Bear. What surprised him even more was the fact that she knocked it down.

There indeed was something strange about her. She wasn't an average Earth girl. She DID possess some kind of magic. Maybe it was something Shuma should know about. Maybe her powers could benefit Xander's civilization.

No. First and foremost, Xander had but one task. He had to get these crystals from her. But before he struck…he had to let this 'Sakura' get the crystals first. The Strength Bear had a menacing look in its eyes, though.

Could she possibly overcome that thing?

  


~--------------------~

  


Doctor Octopus didn't bother to get up. That Bear, obviously representing the Strength Crystal, packed an enormous punch. None of the other freaks and misfits he had ever encountered possessed that kind of power. Just then, something started to nudge Ock in the chest. It was Wilson Fisk, The Kingpin, poking at Ock with a stick.

"No sleeping on the job," Fisk growled.

"I wasn't sleeping," Ock scowled. "You'd be lying down, too, if you went flying hundreds of feet in the air. That thing's a menace, Fisk. What did you sign me up for?"

"Did you think this would be EASY?" The Kingpin pointed out. "Just remember the reward in case you're having second thoughts. Now on your feet! That Bear couldn't have gone far."

Doc Ock reluctantly picked himself up. This wasn't going to be his best day. He didn't picture himself going after an ancient entity in the form of a Strength Bear.

  


~--------------------~

  


The fight was on.

The Bear tried to lift Sakura into the air by her wand, but Sakura had a surprise for it. Sakura wasn't going up. In fact, Sakura was trying to lift the BEAR into the air. But it was a stalemate so far and both of them just struggled to hold on to the wand.

Much to her amazement, though, Sakura could feel the Bear starting to get the upper hand. Sakura began to sweat as she was getting fatigued. She looked back at her friends.

"Guys! Help!"

Sakura could feel the Bear's breath on her face. It was winning this test of strength. But help finally arrived. The Bear was tackled by Keroberos, now in his true form. It gave Sakura a chance to recover from the shock of being overpowered.

Keroberos tried to move in, but Bear grabbed him by the neck and tossed him through a brick wall. Spinel Sun, also in his true form, tried to strike as well, but also got tossed through a wall. The Bear wasn't going down and wasn't letting up. That's when a bolt of lightning struck the Bear right on the back from above.

Sakura looked up to see Jupiter perched on a street lamp. She used her Thunder spell to momentarily stun the Bear, but it didn't knock him out. In fact, the Bear was now moving towards the street lamp.

Li tried to stop it. "Now, element: Wind!"

Li's Wind spell didn't stop the Bear, either. It was only slowing it down and it continued stalking towards the street lamp. Jupiter looked for a place to jump, but quickly realized that the only way to go was down…and down wasn't the best place to go.

"Sakura!!" Madison cried out.

"Use Sleep!!" Eriol added.

Sakura almost couldn't believe herself for not thinking of that. Sakura quickly unleashed Sleep. "Sleep Card! Knock out that Bear! Sleep Card! Release and dispel!"

By this time, the Bear had a grip on the street lamp and was literally bending it with its bare (or is it Bear) hands. Before the Bear could lunge for Jupiter, though, the ever-familiar blue dust started falling upon the Bear…and it started to get drowsy. The Bear finally collapsed…and fell asleep.

Immediately after the Bear fell asleep, Eriol ran up to it. "Return to thy form which thou should be…Strength Crystal!"

The hibernating Strength Bear was then changed into its crystal form: a brown crystal. Eriol took the crystal and handed it to Sakura. It was a long fight, but it was finally over.

"Is everyone all right?" Sakura asked concernedly.

Keroberos finally rose out of the rubble of the shattered brick wall and Spinel Sun did the same. They had been rocked by the impact, but were otherwise fine. They returned to their false forms.

"I feel like I was hit by a train," Kero said, rubbing his head painfully.

"It was more powerful than I thought," Suppi added. "I didn't think anything could possess more strength than the Power Card."

Sakura winced at that thought. She just changed the subject. "So…everyone's ok, right?"

Li pointed down. "Uh…Sakura?"

Sakura looked down and let out a soft yelp. It looked like everyone didn't come out completely unscathed. It appeared that Sleep didn't just take out the Bear. Sailor Jupiter was on the ground…and she was out like a light.

Eriol sweatdropped. "This is just great. We all know how potent Sleep can be. It could be hours before she wakes up."

Madison selflessly tried to lend a hand. "We should help her up." Unfortunately, Jupiter was heavier than they thought. "Um…could somebody help me?"

Li shot Sakura a wry grin. "Better use Power again."

  


~--------------------~

  


Xander saw the whole thing. To say he was amazed would be an understatement. The Earth girl had proven once again that she possessed great power as she had taken down the Strength Bear using her magical cards.

The task was done and everyone began to walk away from the scene. But Xander just stood there watching. It would be a huge risk to just attempt to take the crystals from right under her nose.

Who knows? Maybe she was up to this task. Maybe this Earth girl known as 'Sakura' COULD collect all eight crystals. Xander had to hope so.

He had to take those eight crystals. The future of his people depended on it.

  


~--------------------~

  


Doctor Octopus led the way to where he last saw that ferocious Bear. He was ready for a rematch. Ock wasn't a stupid man. He was crafty and intelligent. He would simply outthink the Strength Bear and then take it down.

But to his displeasure, Ock reached an electronics store with a television turned to the news. The Kingpin stopped to observe this and saw something that displeased them both indeed.

It seemed that the disaster had been averted and that the Bear was gone.

"What happened?" Ock demanded. "How could it be gone?"

Fisk just glowered. "Somebody beat us to it."

Ock continued watching and saw a helicopter zooming in on the scene earlier. There were quite a few people lining up to take on the Strength Bear. One of them was perched on a street lamp, wearing what could only be described as a green schoolgirl's uniform and a tiara on her forehead. Another had an unusual green robe…like one of those ceremonial Chinese robes. And the one attacking the Bear…the one holding the wand…was a masked girl dressed like a Pikachu. Ock could also make out two others standing at a distance and what appeared to be two other beasts stuck in the rubble of a brick wall.

"Who are THEY supposed to be?" Ock scoffed.

Fisk scowled. "Competition. I knew someone else would be going after those crystals."

"But they're young people," Ock pointed out. "How could they do what *I* couldn't?"

"They're obviously stronger than they look," Fisk answered.

"They don't look so tough," Ock grinned. "I shall crush them and take what belongs to us."

"That won't be necessary…yet," Fisk said. "You forget, Doctor, that there are still SIX crystals waiting for us. We shall collect those first…and if these kids stand in our way…THEN you can crush them."

Ock ground his tentacles together. "It would be my pleasure."

  


~--------------------~

  


Sakura just kept waiting. It was a miracle that her father and brother hadn't come home yet, because it was long walk back having to carry Jupiter. Sakura dropped Jupiter on her bed and just waited. Sleep couldn't be rushed, though. All Sakura could do was wait it out. Finally, it appeared that Jupiter was waking up. She moaned softly and opened her eyes.

"Are you all right?" Sakura asked.

Jupiter sat up. "What hit me? I thought the Bear ate me or something."

Sakura scratched her head sheepishly. "Um…I might have…accidentally hit you with…the Sleep Card."

Jupiter blinked. "Sleep Card? You have a Sleep Card? Whoa…there IS a lot I don't know about you."

Sakura smiled. "We could get to know each other a little better. We have the rest of the day to ourselves. And there IS a lot I want to know about you. Just…let me get in the shower first. We'll talk after I clean myself up."

"I'd like that, Sakura," Jupiter said cheerfully.

Sakura took a nearby towel and walked into her bathroom. She closed the door behind just as she saw a flash of light. Sakura didn't make anything of it.

It was probably Jupiter just…changing back.

  


~--------------------~

  


Next Time: Sakura and Lita begin to bond…but will their night of getting acquainted be interrupted? (I think we ALL know the answer to that.) Where will the next Crystal Beast be hidden? And what form will it take? And who will be the next to search for the remaining crystals?

  


Any comments? Go ahead and mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below. I want to know what you think!


	6. Sharing Stories Before Facing Speed

Last Time: After a tough struggle, Sakura defeated the Strength Bear and now has the Strength Crystal in her hand. Xander stood by and watched the whole fight, amazed at Sakura's bravery and power. The Kingpin and Doctor Octopus were too late to find the Strength Bear, but are willing to carry on…taking out any competition if necessary. Of course…is there anyone else coming to find the crystals?

  


**Hunt For the Crystals: Episode 5**

  


Sakura stepped out of the shower and put on an old T-shirt and a pair of jeans before heading downstairs. She smelled something…good. But before she walked out, Kero caught up to her.

"I thought YOU were cooking," Kero said. "If that's not you…then who is it?"

Sakura had a pretty good idea. Her father and Tori weren't home, so it could only be one person. Sakura went downstairs and found Lita by the stove.

Lita smiled. "I'm sorry. I was kinda hungry, so…I just threw something on the stove. I hope you don't mind."

Sakura took a seat on the table. "Um…not at all. So…what's for dinner?"

Lita took something that looked very appetizing and put it on Sakura's plate. "Meatloaf. Hope you like it."

Sakura took a bite…and fell in love with the taste. "It's great! Try it, Kero!"

Kero examined the meatloaf suspiciously. "Meatloaf, huh?" He took a small bite…and grinned. "Hey, this IS good! And that's that I usually only eat sweets. It's sure better than anything Sakura's made lately."

"Hey, my cooking isn't so bad," Sakura frowned. Then she smiled again. "But this is really good. Do you cook often, Lita?"

"It's something I like to do," Lita grinned. "My friends just love the way I cook."

Sakura took another bite. "Your friends…Sailor Scouts, right?"

Lita scratched her head nervously. "Well…not lately. It's like we WERE the Sailor Scouts. But there just hasn't been anything threatening the world lately. I know it's been years since I became Sailor Jupiter. I didn't expect this to happen. And neither did they. If they knew this was happening, they'd be right here at my side. But…they're in the United States…completely unaware of what's going on."

"I've been to the United States," Sakura said. "It's a really nice place. And the stories of Americans are greatly exaggerated. They're really nice people…even though they horribly mangle any Japanese anime series given to them. I'm sure your friends would be here with you if they knew what was going on."

"I didn't know if I could handle this alone," Lita continued. "I never went solo before. I mean…it's not the first time I've been alone, but it's been a long time."

"Not the first time? You mean you HAVE been alone before?"

Lita's face fell. She looked very sad. "I've…pretty much lived alone for a lot of my life. My parents…were killed in a plane crash."

"How awful. Both of them?"

Lita nodded. "It's…the one thing I'm deathly afraid of. I've always been afraid of flying since then. I've never even wanted to set foot on an airplane and that's why I was so scared when that Bear threw me into the air."

Sakura nodded mindfully. "I kinda know what it's like. My mom died when I was just three. It's really hard to grow up without a mother. But…I know I have a father and brother who love me, even though Tori doesn't always show it. And I have friends who really care about me."

Lita took a bite of her meatloaf. "Same with me. My four friends have always been there to look out for me." She took a drink. "But…can I ask you something, Sakura? It's amazing what you can do with those cards. When did all that happen?"

"Completely unexpected," Sakura answered. "I just came home one day and found the book in the basement. No one else could open it. I just happened to be destined to open the book."

"That's when you met me," Kero added. "Don't forget that."

"How could I?" Sakura asked with a smile. "The cards got loose and I was destined to seal them and be their mistress."

"So when did everyone else come in?"

"Oh…you mean my friends? Well, Madison knew the day after. She just happened to tape me flying on my first night as a Cardcaptor and I couldn't keep it a secret from her. She's my best friend. I thought she wouldn't believe it, but instead she took it as the best thing to ever happen to her. She really loves to tape me."

"Like she's obsessed?" Lita asked.

"You might say that," Sakura said after a brief hesitation. "It's actually a long story. And…it's kinda personal. I mean…it gets very personal."

"Oh…then I won't ask. What about that Li guy? He's kinda cute."

Sakura beamed. "You really think so?"

"Oh, yeah. Reminds me of my ex-boyfriend…that jerk. Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that I tend to think every cute guy I see reminds me of my ex-boyfriend. So when did you meet him?"

"Back when I went sealing the cards. It was weird. When we first met…he tried to take the cards from me. He thought I was hopeless. But…as time went on…he saw something in me…and decided to help me instead. And eventually…we fell in love."

"You just fell in love?" Lita asked skeptically. "Sounds like a friend of mine. Tied down to one guy."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing," Sakura frowned.

"It isn't," Jupiter said assuredly. "I think it's a wonderful thing that you found the one you truly love. Not like me…who seems to go through life finding only cute guys that remind me of my ex- boyfriend…that jerk." She took another bite of her meatloaf and picked up her plate. "I'd love to hear more about you, Sakura. The whole card thing especially sounds…cool."

Sakura thought about that. She started to wonder if there was ever a time in her life when she thought being in control of the Clow Cards, now the Sakura Cards, was cool. She knew Madison was ecstatic about it. Li never gave any opinion on the matter, he just went on because it was the way of his ancestors. Sakura, on the other hand, was just a normal girl before this all happened. And the cards had brought a lot of pain into her life. She wondered if it was ever really all worth it.

Sakura shrugged the thought off. She had an idea of how to pass the time with her new friend. "You know, Lita…I have a scrapbook of my days with the Clow Cards. Maybe…I can show it to you?"

"Sounds great."

"Let's go."

Sakura and Lita cheerfully made their way up the stairs and up to Sakura's room. It would be a nice way to pass the time…until the next Crystal Beast appeared.

  


~--------------------~

  


"Uh…I don't know, you guys. Do we even know what we're looking for?"

Todd Tolansky, known as Toad, was never the confident type. He was never one to rush right into the face of danger. Yet here he was, in a strange park in Japan, with his three friends, on a mission for Mystique…and Magneto. Together, the Brotherhood of Mutants were off on what was said to be the biggest mission of their lives…whatever their mission was.

His three friends were a little less tense. Lance Alvers, also called Avalanche, just calmly held the cell phone, awaiting any further orders. Pietro Maximoff, otherwise known as Quicksilver, sat on a tree branch, which was the quietest he ever was. He was always the most hyper of the bunch. Then there was Fred Dukes, also known as The Blob, who went to sit on a bench…only to have it collapse under his tremendous weight.

Toad snickered. "Maybe you should lay off the Twinkies."

The Blob angrily picked Toad up by the collar. "Are you laughing at me?"

"Uh, n-no," Toad stammered. "It was j-just a joke, you know?"

This could have gotten ugly…for Toad. Luckily, the phone finally rang. It could only be either Mystique or Magneto.

"This is Avalanche. Go ahead."

_"Avalanche? This is Magneto. I trust you all landed safely in Japan?"_

Quicksilver dashed towards the phone and took it from Avalanche in the blink of an eye. "We're all here. So what's up, boss? What are we looking for? Something big? Something huge?"

Toad could barely make out a word he was saying. That was Pietro. He always had to speak about as fast as he ran. Maybe that's why he was the unofficial team leader. Unofficial…because the rest of the Brotherhood refused to acknowledge it. They just thought of Pietro as Magneto's pet.

_"This is your greatest test and needless to say, failure is not an option. The legend of the eight crystals has come to pass."_

"Legend of what?" Toad asked.

_"Eight crystals. Ten thousand years ago, there were eight crystals buried beneath the Earth. Those eight crystals have now risen from their burial plots and have assumed the form of eight beasts. Each of these beasts possesses the power of Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Strength, Speed, Thunder, and Darkness respectively._

"I will give you an ancient incantation. Once any of the beasts are weakened, you shall recite the incantation and restore the beast to its crystal form. Collect the crystals and bring them back to me."

"What are these crystals for, boss man?" Pietro asked.

_"Whomever pieces the eight crystals together is granted one wish before the crystals return to their plot from whence they came. Once I piece the eight crystals together, there will be a new era. An era where mutants shall rule and the 'normal' shall perish. We will no longer be oppressed, because the oppressors shall be no more."_

"Sounds good," Pietro chuckled. "So…where should we look?"

_"You'll know a beast when you see it. Trust me. Good luck, my pupils. I trust you will do me proud."_

After Magneto hung up, Toad shook his head and leaped onto a nearby giant Penguin slide. "He makes it sound so easy. I don't know what he's thinking. It's not like those beast things are gonna just come to us."

As if on cue, a huge blur dashed by Toad, nearly knocking him off his perch. He groaned. "Hey, Pietro. You know I hate it when you run by me like that."

Pietro blinked. He was standing in the same spot he was before. "Wasn't me."

The blur suddenly appeared again, this time, the wind knocking Toad off. The blur suddenly began to circle The Blob.

"Hey, what is this thing?" The Blob demanded.

The blur suddenly stopped circling The Blob and finally stopped. It stood right in the middle of the four mutants. It was a cheetah. But it was no ordinary cheetah. It glowed a bright orange and had the image of a crystal imprinted on its back.

"You think this is one of those crystal things Magneto was talking about?" Toad asked.

"No, you think?" Lance responded snidely.

"It's got to be the Speed one," The Blob said. "A Speed Cheetah."

The Cheetah then decided to try and take its leave. It tried to dash off. No one would be able to catch it at that speed…except for one person.

Pietro grinned. "Speed, huh? Speed's my middle name. Watch me take this thing down."

In the blink of an eye, Pietro was off and running. The rest of the Brotherhood could only watch.

Toad tried to lighten the situation. "So…I've heard good things about the sushi here."

"Never mind that," Lance groaned. "Just be ready in case they come back."

Toad shrugged. He could never get as much as a chuckle out of these stiffs. So he just got ready to intercept one of the blurs. Hopefully, it would be the right blur.

  


~--------------------~

  


"Eriol, please cheer up."

Madison hated to see Eriol like this. He looked so distraught and it was obviously because of this situation regarding the eight crystals. Madison was ever hopeful. She knew Sakura could handle this. All she wanted was for Eriol to cheer up. That's why she offered to take him out to the coffee shop.

"I can't," Eriol sighed. "I feel so powerless, Madison. I wish I knew where the other crystals are, but I don't. And if we can't get them all, then the world will be in a lot of trouble. What if some evil gets their hands on the crystals?"

"They won't," Madison said assuredly. "For one thing, they need ALL the crystals to get that one wish. And that won't happen as long as Sakura has two of them. And I'm sure we'll find the rest of them soon."

"I hope so," Eriol said, as he took a sip of his coffee. "I can feel something out of balance, but that's about it. I can't sense exactly where the crystals are. They could be anywhere."

Just as he said that, Madison looked out the window just in time to see a tremendous blur passing by. Right behind that one…was another blur.

"What was that?" Madison asked.

Eriol bit his lip. "Our next crystal. Looks like the Speed Crystal."

"But I saw two of them," Madison pointed out.

"Then we'd better investigate," Eriol replied. "And you'd better call everyone and have them meet us at the usual spot."

Madison couldn't help but let out a smile. "And I have a great costume this time. I wonder if she'll like it."

"No one said you had bad taste," Eriol grinned. "I'm sure it looks amazing."

Madison beamed as she dialed that number. Hopefully, Sakura would react the same way to her new costume.

  


~--------------------~

  


Toad just stood by on a tree branch, waiting to see if Pietro would come back. The Blob was right below him, waiting for the opportunity to spring into action. And Lance was right by the walkway, hoping to give the Brotherhood a big advantage in case the Cheetah came back.

"So what's the plan?" Toad asked again. "Somebody want to tell me?"

"Just shut up and wait," Avalanche snapped. "I think I hear something."

Sure enough, Toad could see two blurs off in the distance coming closer. Lance made his move. He began to use his seismic powers to raise up the walkway, which would be sure to trip up the Cheetah. The walkway rose and became very rocky. Unfortunately, one of the blurs jumped over the manmade hazard. And the second blur…tripped over it. That second blur…was Quicksilver.

"Hey, don't get ME, you idiot!" Pietro chided. "Get the Cheetah! Here it comes!"

Indeed, the Cheetah turned back and was running towards them. The Blob stood in front of it. "It won't get passed me!"

The Cheetah didn't try to get passed the Blob. Instead, the Cheetah circled him again. Toad saw this as his opportunity to shine. This was his chance to do something right. He lashed out with his sticky tongue and, with pinpoint accuracy, caught the Cheetah on the back. The Cheetah stopped at the sudden contact.

"Hey, I got it!" Toad slurred.

Toad was awfully proud of himself. He had the Cheetah in his grasp and his tongue wouldn't let go. It was just too bad that the Cheetah wasn't ready to stop yet. The Cheetah started running again. And with Toad's tongue stuck to its back…that meant…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"

Toad could have sworn he saw his life flash before his eyes. Actually, he saw a lot of things flashing before his eyes. One minute he was in this weird Japanese park. Literally seconds later, he was downtown. There was no way his friends could have caught up to him. Finally, the Cheetah stopped running and the sudden halt loosened Toad's tongue. Toad went flying into a nearby dumpster.

"Yuck! I got Cheetah fur in my mouth," Toad spewed.

"Hold it, Cheetah!"

Toad raised his head out of the dumpster and saw why the Cheetah had stopped. Someone else had arrived on the scene. In fact…many others had arrived on the scene. And leading them all…was a young girl in a very unusual costume, holding up a wand of some sort. Toad didn't know what to make of this.

But if they were going to fight this Cheetah…they would be in for a long night.

  


Next Time: Sakura and her friends fight the Speed Cheetah. Can they defeat it? And just how many others are watching in the shadows during this fight?

  


Any comments? Go ahead and tell me what you think by mailing me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	7. Sakura, Quicksilver, and the Speed Cryst...

Last Time: Sakura and Lita bonded over a plate of meatloaf while reflecting on their respective glory days. The Brotherhood of Mutants (as seen in X-Men: Evolution) landed in Japan, searching for the eight crystals on behalf of Magneto, and quickly found themselves face to face with the Speed Cheetah. Toad got his tongue stuck in the wrong place and found himself being dragged downtown. When all the smoke cleared, Toad raised his head out of a dumpster to see a certain Cardcaptor ready to rise to the occasion again.

  


**Hunt For the Crystals: Episode 6**

  


It was quite the coincidence. When Sakura saw her latest costume, she didn't know what to think of it. It was a spotted jungle costume (of course, there weren't any other jungle costumes with a skirt). And it was a coincidence that Sakura found herself facing off against a Cheetah.

"That's the Speed Cheetah," Eriol said. "Be careful, Sakura."

Sakura didn't even have a chance to make her first move, because the Cheetah was off and running. Sakura could make out occasional blurs, because the Cheetah wasn't leaving the area. And she had just the thing to catch up to it.

"Dash Card! Release!"

Sakura took her stance…and dashed off in the blink of an eye, not even waiting for any of her friends. Sakura was the only one who could catch up to the Cheetah and that was because of the Dash Card. She would have to think of some way to slow it down, but for now…

…all she could do was race it and keep up.

  


~--------------------~

  


The Brotherhood didn't know what to do. Sure, Toad was never the brightest or most useful member of the team, but he was still a part of the team nonetheless. And the worst thing was, they had no idea where the Cheetah went.

"So what do you think happened to him?" Lance asked.

"He's probably still stuck," The Blob grinned.

Pietro wasn't taking this with such good humor, and he was usually one of the more light-hearted members of the team. He knew that Magneto was counting on them. They couldn't afford to go back to Bayville High as failures. What would Mystique think? What would Magneto think?

At that moment, Pietro spied a blur dashing by them. Then there was another blur that ran passed them. Pietro knew what it had to be.

"It's the Cheetah," Quicksilver said.

"Um…did you see TWO of them?" The Blob asked.

"I thought there was only ONE Speed Crystal," Avalanche pointed out.

"Doesn't matter," Pietro said quickly. "I'm gonna catch it this time!"

Without waiting for Avalanche or The Blob, Quicksilver sped off again. He usually ran without much effort, but this time Pietro was going with all his speed. He was catching up to the Cheetah and soon he found himself right beside it. But he also noticed that second blur.

There was a young girl in a jungle costume and a mask holding up a wand who was also running with amazing speed. She was on the opposite side of the Cheetah and she was shocked to see Pietro.

"Who are you?!" she demanded.

"Who am I?" Pietro shot back. "Who are YOU?!"

It was too bad that Pietro never got an answer. In an instant, both the girl and the Cheetah made a sharp right turn. Quicksilver didn't have enough time to react. He crashed right into a brick wall and was lucky he didn't kill himself on impact.

No, Pietro was all right. He just lost consciousness.

  


~--------------------~

  


Expect the unexpected.

The point was always hammered home ever since Sakura was ten. She certainly didn't expect to see a guy running neck and neck with her and the Cheetah. She had no idea who that was. But was he also looking for the Cheetah?

Sakura didn't have time to answer that question. Luckily, the guy crashed and was quickly out of the running. It was down to Sakura and the Speed Cheetah. Suddenly, Sakura realized something. She was familiar with her home town and she recognized where she was going. She was about to cross her friends' paths again. And then she got an idea.

Sure enough, Sakura found her friends patiently waiting where she had left them. The Cheetah kept running…but Sakura stopped.

Li ran up to her. "What happened?"

"I have an idea!" Sakura said triumphantly. "Remember what happened seven years ago? The marathon?"

Li could see exactly what she had in mind. "That'll work! But I still don't understand how we can stop it from running."

"Leave that to me," Sakura smirked.

Everyone stood back and took their places on the sidewalk. Sakura knew she had to act fast if she wanted this idea to work. It was time to try. She took out the Loop Card.

"Loop Card! Create a loop on this street! Loop Card! Release and dispel!"

The first part of Sakura's idea worked. The Cheetah ran by the street once again…and again…and again. It was stuck in a loop. Now came the tricky part. Sakura still didn't know how to stop it.

"Any ideas?" Jupiter asked. "I don't see how we can stop something this fast, especially since it doesn't seem to be getting tired at all."

Sakura couldn't think of anything. She wanted to beat her head against a wall. In thinking about a wall, though, Sakura got her big idea.

"There was someone else running beside us," Sakura began. "Running at the exact same speed as me and the Cheetah. But he couldn't keep up…because he hit a wall. That's it!"

Somehow, everyone seemed to know exactly what Sakura had in mind. Li and Eriol took a few steps back. Suppi perched himself on Eriol's shoulder. Kero perched himself on Sakura's shoulder. Jupiter, not knowing what Sakura had in mind, just stepped back like Li and Eriol. And Madison held out her camera. The Cheetah continued making its passes, but that wouldn't last.

Sakura prepared the one fly in Cheetah's ointment. "Earth Card! Rise from the ground and create a wall! Earth Card! Release and dispel!"

Earth came out and stood on the street. She raised her hands and the ground began to rise, creating a wall. And just as Sakura thought, as the Cheetah came running by again, it crashed right into the wall, knocking itself out. Earth smiled and returned to her card form. Sakura calmly walked up to the fallen Speed Cheetah and confirmed that it was indeed out like a light.

Eriol came up next. "Return to thy form which thou should be…Speed Crystal!"

The Cheetah reverted to its crystal form and fell into Eriol's hand. He, in turn, handed it to Sakura. Sakura looked at the orange crystal. That was the third one. There were still five remaining.

"That was amazing," Jupiter said softly. "Great job, Sakura."

Li smiled. "Pretty smart to remember the marathon. It worked perfectly."

Sakura kept looking at the crystal. "Thanks…"

Madison walked up to her best friend. "Is something wrong, Sakura?"

Sakura blinked. "I'm just trying think about that guy I saw. Who was he?"

"Guy?" Eriol repeated. "Sakura, did you see someone?"

"I saw someone who was running as fast as me," she answered. "And he wanted to know who I was. I think he was chasing the Cheetah, too."

Eriol shook his head. "This isn't good. It's just like I feared. There are others looking for the crystals. What did he look like, Sakura?"

Sakura shrugged. "I'll tell you everything on the way home. But I don't think we'll have to worry about HIM for a while. Last I saw, he ran right into a brick wall."

Of course, in the back of her mind, Sakura couldn't help but think of that guy. What if he was dangerous? What if there were others who were also ruthless looking for the crystals? Even with her friends by her side, Sakura hated to have to handle this herself. All she wanted was to be a normal girl living a normal life.

  


~--------------------~

  


When everything cleared, Xander raised his head from inside the trash can. He knew he would have to wash himself when this was all over. Next time, he would find another hiding place, because the trash can had an unbearable stench. Xander was ready to climb out and call his superior again, but someone else came out from inside a nearby dumpster. It was a teenager, but he looked rather…dirty. He had green skin and what looked to be a slimy tongue.

"Guy?" he said to himself. "Fast? Brick wall? Pietro!"

The boy started hopping away in a hurry, like a frog or a toad. Now that there was no one around, Xander finally climbed out of his trash can. It was time to report once again.

So far, this 'Sakura' was doing very well for herself. She had successfully risen to the occasion three times and it didn't seem like she would have any trouble collecting the other five crystals.

And that meant it was almost time for Xander to strike.

  


~--------------------~

  


Toad had to have looked all over this dismal town, not finding any sign of his friends. But he started to get a little nervous when he heard that 'Sakura' girl talking about a fast guy who ran into a brick wall. That could only be Quicksilver.

Finally, Toad stumbled onto something. He had found his friend. Pietro was flat on his back, unconscious from what must have been tremendous impact.

"Never were one to wear a seat belt," Toad grinned. Even in the face of something serious, Toad could always sneak in a bad joke. "That's what happens when you don't look where you're going."

Toad was taking full advantage of Quicksilver's unconsciousness. Since he wasn't awake and since Avalanche and The Blob were who-knows-where, that meant…there was no one to talk back to him.

"I don't know who that was, Pietro," Toad continued. "But man, does she have powers. And I'm thinking she ain't no mutant, either. She probably has some kinda magical powers, you know? I know that might sound weird, but I think she does. Kinda puts us at a disadvantage when we're talking about finding crystals."

"Did someone say crystals?"

Toad suddenly felt a metal claw wrap around his neck and pick him up. He could see a man in a green costume, sunglasses, and a bad haircut with four metallic tentacles on his back.

"Hey, are you another one of those crystal things?" Toad asked ignorantly.

"What do you know about the crystals?" the man demanded in his German accent. "Tell me!"

"I-I-I don't know nothin," Toad stuttered. "I just know I was supposed to find them. That don't mean I've seen 'em."

The man growled. "If you know what's good for you, you'll leave the crystal hunting to an expert. If anyone's going to get them, it's going to be ME! So I'd advise you to stay out of my way!"

The tentacle man moved Toad towards a trashcan and dumped him inside head-first. Then he walked away, leaving Toad stuck inside the trashcan.

"Hey, this ain't cool!" Toad screamed. "Pietro! Wake up! Get me out of here!"

It wasn't happening. Pietro was still out like a light and Toad wasn't getting out of that trashcan anytime soon. But Toad had to wonder about one thing. Who was that freak? Was he also looking for the crystals?

If he was…then that 'Sakura' girl Toad saw would be in a lot of trouble.

  


~--------------------~

  


"What did he look like, Sakura?"

Sakura and her friends made it back to Madison's front gate by the time Eriol asked that question again. Sakura kept trying to avoid the question while she recalled what this speed demon looked like.

"He was pretty skinny," Sakura began. "Had a weird haircut and a weird costume. And he talked really fast."

"Who could this guy be?" Eriol asked.

"I don't know, but I hope we don't see him again," Kero said. "We have enough on our plate without having to worry about some fast-talking speed demon."

"At least we have three crystals," Eriol pointed out. "I just hope we don't lose those."

A thought suddenly hit Sakura. She looked Li right in the eye and from the look on his face, it was pretty evident that he was thinking the same thing. Sakura then looked over to her best friend, Madison. Sakura called her over to have a private moment. Madison walked over and she went with Sakura behind a bush.

"I need a favor," Sakura said bluntly. "Can you help me?"

"Anything," Madison nodded. "What is it, Sakura?"

Sakura handed Madison the Speed Crystal. "Hold this for me. After seeing that guy, I don't know if anyone might come after me or the crystals. I think we'd be a lot safer if you held at least one of them."

Madison took the crystal, but looked skeptical. "Sakura…are you sure about this?"

Sakura nodded. "I know it'll be safe in your hands, Madison. When I get the next crystal, I'll give it to Li, but until then…just hold this for me. We can't take any chances."

Madison still wasn't sure. She didn't want to be the weakest link and she wasn't sure if she could protect the Speed Crystal. Sakura believed in her, though.

"You can count on me, Sakura," Madison finally said.

Sakura smiled. "Thanks, Madison."

Sakura and Madison came out from behind the bush. There was nothing else to be said. There were no more crystals to chase after on this night. Sakura pulled Li to the side, though. She needed one more confidence booster.

"We can do this, right Li?" Sakura asked him.

Li nodded. "We've been through a lot worse than this. We're a lot wiser than we were before…and we have a Sailor Scout at our side." He gave her a quick kiss. "We CAN do this."

It sure made Sakura feel a lot better. But there was one more thing that Sakura couldn't get off her mind. She had wanted to live a normal life so badly. In the back of her mind, Sakura was thinking about that. In fact…she was starting to think about…a certain scenario…that could come to pass in the near future.

Maybe Sakura could talk about it with someone…later.

  


~--------------------~

  


Those nosy young people had gone home. But he couldn't help but notice one thing. The lead girl…the one apparently known as 'Sakura'…had given one of her crystals to one of her friends. One of her friends who lived in this very estate. This was just the opportunity that Doctor Octopus was waiting for.

If Doc Ock wanted the Speed Crystal, he would have to infiltrate this enormous mansion. There had to be guards at every corner. That wouldn't discourage the bad doctor, though. He would do whatever was necessary to take that crystal, for that crystal would be the first step in wishing for world domination.

Using his metallic tentacles, Ock propelled himself over the front gate and hid behind a nearby bush. There were guards patrolling the estate. This girl and the other boy who came must have been important people.

When the guards turned their back, Ock systematically took each one out by smashing them against the wall. He was quiet in his ways, so as to not attract attention. But Ock saw that his task would not get any easier. The mansion was huge. He would probably be searching for the girl the whole night.

Ock looked around to see if any other security guards were approaching. There were none, so he opened the fuse box in front of him and ripped out the wires. With the power out inside the house, Doc Ock would not have to face the wrath of a security system, which would make his task significantly easier. Then he saw something in the distance. One of the windows was being opened and a girl stuck her head out. It was the same girl who was given the Speed Crystal. As soon as she closed her window and stuck her head back in her room, Doctor Octopus sprang into action.

He propelled himself upward with two of his tentacles and used the other two to pry the window open. Ock moved inside the girl's room and found her by the door. And when she saw Doctor Octopus, her face was filled with terror.

"W-Who are you?!" she demanded, not knowing what else to say.

Ock wrapped one of his tentacles around her waist. "You have something I want. You have one of the crystals. Give it to me!"

Before anything else could be said, someone walked through the door.

"Madison, I need…HEY!"

It was one of the boys Doc Ock saw earlier with this pack of misfits. The boy in the green robes.

"Li!" Madison shouted. "Help me!"

The boy, Li, held out a small charm which extended out to create a sharp sword. "Let her go!"

Doctor Octopus was not intimidated by a young man with a sword. "I came here for that crystal. If you want her, you'll have to take her from me!"

And with that…the battle began.

  


Next Time: It's probably not a good thing that Sakura's not aware of any of this. Will Li get in over his head? Will Doctor Octopus get the Speed Crystal? Will our friends resort to calling on...an old friend (or guardian...wink, wink)? And where is the next crystal?

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and give me your opinion. You can also give your opinion by reviewing below!


	8. The Moon Guardian Returns

Last Time: Sakura successfully subdued the Speed Crystal, despite an unexpected encounter with Pietro Maximoff, otherwise known as Quicksilver. In hopes of spreading out the crystals, Sakura placed the Speed Crystal in the hands of her best friend, Madison Taylor. Unfortunately, Doctor Octopus saw the exchange and broke into Madison's estate, slowly taking out each security guard. Once Doc Ock had Madison in his clutches, though, Li Shoran walked in and faced off with the bad doctor. Now the second battle for the Speed Crystal was about to begin.

  


**Hunt For the Crystals: Episode 7**

  


"Eriol, we've got to get home," Suppi said. "Why are we coming back?"

Eriol smirked one of his trademark evil smiles. "I didn't give Madison her good night kiss."

Suppi groaned. "That's it? We were halfway home! I was ready to get some sleep! I feel tired!"

That shocked Eriol. "YOU feel tired? YOU?"

Suppi sweatdropped. "Ok, so maybe Kero rubbed off on me a little bit. Can we just get this over with?"

Eriol approached Madison's front gate and immediately sensed something was wrong. The guards who usually patrolled the front gate were down on the ground, either napping…or unconscious. The lights inside Madison's mansion were out. Madison usually kept at least one light off whenever her mother was away on business and there was no way her mother could have been back from her trip already. That left Eriol worried.

With the guards unconscious, Eriol climbed the front gate and ran over to the other side of the mansion where Madison's room was located. And sure enough, Eriol heard screaming…from Madison.

"Li!"

Another voice sounded. "Make it easier on yourself. Step back and give me what I want!"

It was a sinister voice with a German accent. Eriol knew his girlfriend and his 'dear descendant' were in danger. He had to do something, but then he looked to his left at the floating Suppi.

"Go get Sakura!"

Suppi hesitated. "Eriol…don't you think I should…"

"Just do it!!"

Suppi didn't ask any more questions, he just flew off, leaving Eriol alone. From the sounds of what was going on inside the mansion, Li was in for a fight and Madison was in trouble. He had to do something.

So Eriol made his way to a nearby window…and climbed into the mansion.

  


~--------------------~

  


Li should have gone for a crushing blow in the opening minute, but since this four-tentacle creep had Madison in his grasp, he couldn't risk hurting her. So there was a momentary standoff.

"I want the crystal," he said again. "One of you better give it to me…or else you shall suffer the consequences!"

Li then got an idea. His wind spell might work. It could at least stun this guy while keeping Madison safe and she might be able to shake herself loose from this fiend's grasp. He held out his sword and went for his wind spell, but the octopus man wrapped another of his metallic tentacles around Li. As Li was lifted off the ground, he ended up dropping his sword. He was stuck with no other offensive moves.

"You two are going to give me that crystal!" the guy snarled. "I'll tear down this entire mansion if I have to, but I'll find it!"

Li could only look three ways. He looked into Madison's eyes, filled with fear, not knowing what would happen next. Then he looked into the octopus man's face. His eyes were covered by the dark sunglasses, but there was no mistaking that he had malicious intents. Then Li looked down on the ground…at his sword. He wished he could reach it.

But Li was stuck…and there was seemingly no one who could reach him.

  


~--------------------~

  


Suppi hoped his luck hadn't run out. By this time, he had memorized the path to Sakura's house. And he needed to go fast. It sounded like Madison and Li were in trouble and it would be up to the Sakura Card Mistress to help them.

Suppi finally found Sakura's house. He flew in through the open window, the one in Sakura's room, and immediately found…

…emptiness.

"They're not here," Suppi said to himself. "Where could they be?"

There was always the possibility that they were on their way home. There was always the possibility that they got sidetracked. Maybe Suppi was a lot faster than he thought. But one thing was for sure. Sakura, Lita, and Kero weren't home.

Suppi then stuck his head out of Sakura's bedroom door. He saw someone come out from across the hall. It was Sakura's big brother, Tori.

"I'll be right back, Julian."

A thought suddenly hit Suppi. Julian was here. That meant that this trip hadn't been for naught. Suppi COULD get help. But he realized that it must have been years since Julian had made the transformation. This was an emergency, though.

Suppi then wandered inside. It was really a futile gesture to keep secrets from Julian, since Suppi believed that Julian was aware of everything. Julian didn't see the little guardian beast at first. So Suppi just uttered one word.

"Trouble."

Julian looked around. "Who said that?"

Suppi spoke up again. "Big trouble. Li and Madison!"

Julian looked around. "Did you say…Li and Madison are in trouble?"

Suppi spoke up louder. "WE NEED YUE!!"

Julian couldn't get another word off. He got up and moaned softly. It was happening. The transformation was taking place. And sure enough, wings sprouted out of Julian's back and covered his entire body. When the wings spread, there was no Julian. There was only Yue.

Suppi flew up. "Am I glad to see you! We need your help!"

Yue looked out the window emotionlessly. "This better be good. I usually don't come out for anyone except for Kero and the Card Mistress. But you said there was trouble? The Mistress's best friend and boyfriend?"

"They're in big trouble and I can't find Sakura anywhere!" Suppi answered. "We need your help! Come on!"

Suppi flew outside. There was no time to waste. So he flew out the window and waited for the mighty guardian, Yue, to follow him.

  


~--------------------~

  


Tori walked back with another plate of food for his hungry best friend, Julian. But he was shocked to see that Julian wasn't there. It was the guardian, Yue.

"You're back," Tori said softly.

Tori knew everything about Julian's secret. He knew of the existence of Yue. In fact, there were a lot of things that Tori knew about. He just chose not to reveal his knowledge. But Tori realized something. If Yue was here…then that meant…

"There's trouble," Yue said in his usual cold demeanor.

"My sister?" Tori asked, sounding concerned.

"Not…exactly," Yue answered. "As far as I know, no. It's her friends. Her best friend and the one you call 'the brat'."

Tori shrugged. He couldn't believe that Yue had come out after all these years…to save the brat. "Then you're leaving?"

Yue looked out the window somberly. "I'll be back. Hopefully this won't take long. I sense, however, that there is a greater danger out there. Something I am not yet aware of. But I'll be fine. Don't worry, Tori."

Tori sighed. "Be careful."

Yue actually let out a smile. There was a bond between Tori and Julian and that bond extended all the way to Julian's alter ego as well. If Yue ever cared for anybody, he cared for Tori and Sakura. And that made Tori a happy man.

As Yue flew out the window, Tori couldn't help but think of what he meant. A greater danger. He knew that couldn't have meant any good. He wished he could put his finger on it. Tori used to be able to sense other things. He used to have the power to sense spirits…and sense magic.

But alas, that power was gone. Tori sacrificed it to save Julian and Yue. So Tori could do nothing…but wait helplessly…and hope everything would be ok.

  


~--------------------~

  


"Sakura, is there a reason we took this detour?" Kero asked again.

Sakura ignored the question. She needed some more time to think, so she didn't head straight home. The fact that she seemed out of it started to worry Kero and Lita. There were a lot of thoughts crossing her mind that night. A lot of thoughts…about her life.

But those thoughts were quickly cut off.

"Sakura!"

Sakura gasped when Kero pointed to the sky. A small figure could be made out flying through the air. It looked like Suppi. But what caught Sakura's eye…was who was flying behind him.

"It can't be," she breathed. "It's been too long."

"It's Yue!" Kero shouted cheerfully. Then he got a little more worried. "Um…wait a minute…why is Yue out?"

"A crystal?" Sakura guessed.

"Hey, Sakura, didn't we just come from that way?" Lita pointed out.

Sakura's eyes widened. Lita made a valid point. Yue and Suppi were flying towards where Sakura and Lita were just coming out of. They were heading…for Madison's house.

Sakura gasped again. "Madison! LI!!" In the blink of an eye, Sakura unleashed one of her cards. "Fly!"

Sakura got on her wand and Kero was right behind her…but Lita wasn't joining her. In fact, Lita practically turned white. She was almost shaking in fear.

"Y-You want m-me to f-f-fly?" Lita asked.

Sakura nearly forgot about what they had shared with each other. She forgot that Lita was DEATHLY afraid of flying. But this was an emergency. Sakura's best friend and the man she loved more than anything were probably in danger.

"Please, Lita!" Sakura begged. "You don't have to be scared. I won't let you fall. But please! We don't have any time to lose!"

Lita wasn't moving. In fact, she took a step back. She was still scared. Sakura had never seen anything like it. Kero had, though.

"It's just like you and ghosts," Kero told Sakura.

"PLEASE!" Sakura pleaded again. "I don't want to leave you, but I will if I have to! I have to help my friends! Just hang on to me, Lita! PLEASE!"

Lita closed her eyes and let out a long, soft moan. She climbed onto Sakura's wand and clutched Sakura's waist VERY tight. She kept her eyes closed and didn't open them at all. When Sakura began flying, Lita buried her face in Sakura's back and held her very closely. It was obvious that Lita was afraid of flying. Sakura couldn't blame her. She remembered hearing that her parents were killed in a plane crash.

But Sakura could finally see it. Madison's estate was in the distance. But Suppi and Yue were not. They must have already landed.

  


~--------------------~

  


Li didn't know what else to do. But he could feel the octopus man's tentacles squeezing tighter. He was clearly losing his temper, but Li wouldn't give in. And neither would Madison. They wouldn't surrender the Speed Crystal.

"Do not think I won't crush you!" the octopus man shouted. "Give me the crystal!"

There was still no surrender. Li and Madison refused to cooperate and it seemed that the octopus man was ready to squeeze the life out of both of them. But someone unexpected rushed in through the open window and grabbed the octopus man from behind. Li and Madison fell from his grasp and the octopus man was tossed aside. Li then saw who had saved them…and he couldn't believe it.

"Yue!"

After many years, Yue had returned and he arrived just in time to save Li and Madison. And needless to say, the octopus man wasn't expecting the guardian to arrive.

"And what are YOU supposed to be?" the octopus man demanded.

"I am Yue, guardian under the moon. And you had better leave this place!"

"Yue, is it?" the octopus man grinned. "I am Doctor Octopus and it is YOU who had better get out of my way! This does not concern you!"

"These are friends of the Card Mistress," Yue said coldly. "So this DOES concern me!"

"I'm not leaving until I get that crystal!" Doctor Octopus shouted.

Yue was not shaken. He wasn't moving, so Doc Ock decided to attack. He lunged out with his tentacles. But Yue created his shield barrier, thwarting the attack. Yue then attacked with his ice crystal shards knocking Ock backwards until Li came with a flying kick that knocked him out the window.

Li and Yue went over to the window to see that Ock was not out of it yet. He had used his tentacles to soften his landing. He turned towards Li and Yue and shook his fist menacingly.

"You think I'm finished? This has just begun! I…AAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Something had struck Ock and he was clutching his head. Li didn't know what to make of it. At first, he thought Yue had done something, but the guardian was unsure of what happened. Then Li saw it. It was Sakura, with Lita, Kero, and Eriol right behind her, and she was holding out her wand. She was attacking with one of the Sakura Cards. And it didn't take long, either. Doctor Octopus was out cold.

Yue flew out with Li and Madison hanging on. Once those three were out, they ran up to Sakura, Lita, Kero, and Eriol. They looked down at the fallen octopus man.

"What'd you use?" Li asked.

Sakura held up her secret weapon. "The Erase Card. He won't remember any of this. Who is he?"

"You mean you don't know?" Li asked. "I thought he ran with the same crowd as that speed demon you saw."

Sakura gulped. "I hope not." She ran over and gave Li a hug. Eriol ran over to Madison and did the same. They were glad that nothing tragic happened.

Suddenly, sirens were heard. It was the police. Sakura gasped. She didn't recall anyone calling the police. Sakura just looked at her friends.

"One of the guards must have come to," Madison assumed.

Yue just turned away. "In that case, I guess I'll leave. I'm glad you and your friends are safe, Sakura."

"Wait, Yue!" Sakura called out. "It's been such a long time since we last saw you. You aren't leaving us now…are you?"

Yue didn't show any emotion, but he heard Sakura's plea. "I can never truly leave, Sakura. I will always be there in case you need me. And with this sense I have…I feel that you will need me again in the near future. But for now, I must go. Someone's…waiting for me."

Yue flew off just as the police began coming towards the front gate. Sakura stuffed Kero in her pocket and Suppi flew under Li's hat. The only ones present now were Sakura, Li, Madison, Eriol, and Lita. The police came in and kneeled beside the fallen Doc Ock.

"It's him," one of them said in disbelief. "The fugitive from the United States." He looked up at Madison. "He's a very dangerous criminal. How did you stop him?"

Madison scrambled for an explanation. "Um…he…shocked himself…with the fuse box. He didn't watch where he was throwing those metal arms."

The police picked up the bad doctor and started carrying him to the nearby police car. One of the cops scratched his head. "It's a miracle no one was hurt. Are you all ok?"

Li saw that Madison, Eriol, and Lita were keeping their charade going pretty well, putting on an illusion of false serenity. But he also noticed Sakura, who wasn't looking anywhere near content. He could sense she was distressed by another freak on the hunt for the crystals.

"We're all fine," Madison said. "Thank you, officer."

The officer shrugged and joined his colleagues. The police drove off, leaving everyone by Madison's front gate. Everyone was shaken, that much was for sure. But Li had to admit that things could have been a lot worse, had Sakura not shown up with the Erase Card. And of course, there was the sudden appearance of Yue.

"Evil is searching for the crystals," Eriol said ominously. "First there was the speed demon Sakura saw and now a criminal from the United States. I hope there isn't anyone else."

It was at that moment that Sakura walked a few steps away from the gate. "Madison…the fuse box only keeps the lights in your mansion on, right?"

Madison nodded. "Why do you ask, Sakura?"

Sakura pointed out into the distance. "Because your house isn't the only one that's blacked out."

Li looked out into the city and saw that Sakura was right. The lights were all out. Not only that, but Li could sense something was out of balance.

Eriol shook his head. "We have another crystal. The Darkness Crystal."

Sakura sighed. "It's late. I just wish this night would end."

Kero stuck his head out of Sakura's pocket. "Sorry, Sakura. But you're the Card Mistress. You do what you have to do. Remember, the world's in your hands."

Sakura didn't look comforted by those words, so Li brandished his sword.

The woman he loved was going to need his help, because they were going off to hunt another crystal.

  


Next Time: One villain down, but there's more coming. Yes, the Darkness Crystal is out there, but what form will it take? And will it be too powerful for our heroes?

  


Any comments? Let me know what you think by mailing me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below.


	9. Combating Darkness...and the Brotherhood

Last Time: Li and Madison were in over their heads after being attacked by Doctor Octopus, but who should save the day but the mighty Yue! After a brief scuffle, Sakura takes out the bad doctor with the Erase Card and everyone begins to wonder how many others are searching for the crystals. They don't have much time to think about that, because the Darkness Crystal is on the loose and it's up to Sakura and her friends to stop it.

  


**Hunt For the Crystals: Episode 8**

  


Darkness had overcome the city and Sakura could barely walk the streets without hitting something. Even the city's emergency lights were out and that meant that this couldn't have been a natural occurrence. It had to be the Darkness Crystal. Sakura just wished she knew what she was looking for.

The first place they looked was Penguin Park. With the lights suddenly going out, the whole populous had gone indoors. So the night belonged to Sakura and her friends for the moment. And besides, no one would recognize Sakura in her latest costume: one that looked much like the one she wore for the Final Judgement, except it was all black, which made it perfect for this particular occasion.

Everyone was still shaken up over the earlier encounter with the man called Doctor Octopus. Sakura hoped that she wouldn't encounter any more creeps like that. But she also knew that there was still that super fast guy running around (no pun intended) somewhere. The earlier battle made having to find the Darkness Crystal a much more arduous task.

"What does it look like, Eriol?" Sakura whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" Eriol asked.

Sakura stopped. "Oh…I don't know. The darkness sort of makes me want to whisper. So what are we looking for?"

"The Darkness Crystal comes in a form much like its essence," Eriol answered.

"That's it?" Li asked.

Sailor Jupiter, having already transformed, scoffed. "So we don't even know what we're looking for?"

"I'm sorry," Eriol growled. "But I don't exactly have a manual on this sort of thing. I don't know what it looks like. But I have a feeling we'll know it when we see it."

Sakura suddenly stopped in her tracks. Everyone walking behind her stopped also. Things got quiet…too quiet.

"Sakura…" Li whispered.

"Wait…" Sakura mumbled.

There was no sound from anywhere in the park. But then there was some noise. Rustling. Something was jumping…from tree to tree. Everyone looked around, trying to find the source of the noise.

"I see it!" Madison suddenly said. She was looking through the lens in her camera. "I've zoomed in on it."

Madison handed her camera to Sakura, who saw through the zoomed-in lens. Sakura saw something blending in the shadows. All she could see was a pair of red eyes…and the white outline of what had to be a black crystal. The next Crystal Beast was apparently one of the darker ones.

Sakura took a step back. "Everyone stick together. It's over there."

Everyone stuck together…except for Sailor Jupiter, who was getting overzealous. "If it's over there, then it's time to take it out!" She stepped forward. "Jupiter Thunder…Crash!"

A crash of lightning hit the tree where the beast was perched, frying the tree. But there was no beast there, so no one could tell if it was harmed. Jupiter took a few more steps forward and looked around. She wanted to know if she hit a target.

Unfortunately, her question was answered. The beast jumped out of a bush and pinned Jupiter down. Jupiter thrust it off and it landed on its feet. Sakura and her friends finally got a good look at it. It was a panther.

"The Darkness Panther," Eriol said. "Black as the night. That's why we could barely see it."

The Panther looked around, making its next move unknown. Then it made its move. It leaped into the trees…disappearing in the shadows once again.

"It's one of the more elusive crystals," Eriol noted.

"So now what?" Li asked. "It won't show itself."

Sakura knew there was one way to find the Panther. They had to chase after it. But after finding it, how would they ensure that it wouldn't hide in the darkness again?

"I have an idea," Sakura smirked. "Let's go!"

Sakura led the way, going further into Penguin Park. She knew that there was always one way to stop the darkness.

  


~--------------------~

  


Toad made sure to stay behind the protective…girth of The Blob. Darkness had overcome everything, even the generator in the Brotherhood's jet. When Pietro informed Magneto, it was concluded that this was the work of a Crystal Beast, so that meant it was time for the Brotherhood to try again. But Toad was unsure of this. With darkness overwhelming the entire city, there was no telling what would come out of the shadows.

"H-Hey, guys?" Toad stuttered. "Couldn't we just go back to the jet? Maybe the generators kicked in and they're working again."

"What are you, scared of the dark?" Lance asked snidely.

"I ain't scared," Toad said defensively. "I…just need a little light, you know. Maybe after this is all over, I can go get a tan."

Pietro stopped, which made Toad think it must have been serious because Quicksilver hardly ever stood still. "Wait…I hear something."

There was a rustling in the bushes. And then they saw it. It was a pair of red eyes and the white outline of a crystal perched on a tree. It was the next Crystal Beast.

"There's our target," Pietro pointed.

"I'll get it!" Avalanche said boldly. He used his seismic powers to knock the tree down. The beast leaped out of the tree and revealed itself to be the Darkness Panther. Luckily for the Brotherhood, the Panther leaped right into the waiting arms of The Blob.

"It ain't getting away from me!" The Blob grunted. "I'll squeeze the life out of it!"

Toad eagerly waited for the results of The Blob's punishment. Good old Fred Dukes would mangle this thing. But that's when the weirdness started.

The Panther stared The Blob in the face. Its eyes began to glow a brighter red. The Blob began to loosen his grip…because he saw what the Panther was doing to him.

"Hey, what the heck?!"

The Blob was being overcome by blackness. The Blob suddenly stood frozen and all that remained of him…was a catatonic, life-sized silhouette. Toad hopped over to him and noticed that The Blob was still as bloated as ever, but he was the color of a shadow and he couldn't move at all.

"Just what are we dealing with here?" Toad demanded.

"Must have overcome him with darkness," Pietro assumed.

"It won't get me!" Lance shouted.

Avalanche tried using his powers to create a tremor to trip up the Panther. It didn't work, because the Panther leaped up and pounced on Lance. It did its trick where its eyes glowed and, just like The Blob, Avalanche was frozen and overwhelmed with the color of shadow. That only left Toad and Quicksilver.

"Uh…now what do we do?" Toad asked fearfully.

Toad soon saw that they weren't alone much longer, though. A party of young kids, about their age or maybe a little older, arrived on the scene as well. But more than that, they looked familiar to Toad. It was them. It was the same crowd that took down the Speed Cheetah. The lead girl was in a different costume, but it was her.

"Think they're here for the crystal?" Toad asked Pietro.

Pietro glowered. "They won't get far."

Toad tried to read his friend's face. That sentence could have meant many different things. But just what did Pietro mean by that?

  


~--------------------~

  


Sakura gasped. It wasn't the Darkness Panther that got her attention. It wasn't the two catatonic, silhouettes that were in the middle of the walkway. It was HIM. It was the speed demon she encountered earlier. It was the exact same guy. Sakura was so caught up by his sudden appearance, that she didn't notice the Panther heading right for her.

"Sakura, LOOK OUT!!"

Madison pushed Sakura out of the way and took the brunt of the blow. The Panther began to stare Madison down with glowing red eyes. Then, to everyone's horror, Madison was overcome with darkness and all that remained was a silhouette.

"NO!" Eriol shouted. He warmed up a fireball and tossed it at the Panther. The Panther got off, but it was too late. The damage had already been done.

Sakura stood shocked. That could have been her…and Madison sacrificed herself…the way she was always willing to do whenever Sakura was placed in danger. She then turned and saw the scourge that was the Darkness Panther.

She couldn't forget her plan. In all her moment of sadness and rage, Sakura couldn't forget what she had in mind.

"You know what to do, don't you, Sakura?" Kero pointed out.

Sakura nodded and took out her ally. "Shadow Card! Attack that Panther! Shadow! Release and dispel!"

Sakura used the darkness to her advantage. Darkness always powered shadows and the Shadow Card would thrive in these conditions.

Shadow came out in its Grim Reaper-like appearance and moved towards the Darkness Panther. The Panther tried to struggle with Shadow, but so far the fight was dead even. Shadow was trying to envelop the Panther with its own power of darkness, and the Panther was evidently trying to do the same.

Then the standoff ended with Shadow being thrust forward by the Panther. Shadow looked ahead to see that the Panther was ready to strike. Sakura expressed fear. If Shadow wasn't powerful enough to overcome the Darkness Panther, then what else could she do?

"I have an idea," Sailor Jupiter suddenly said. "Get Shadow to lure the Panther this way."

Sakura wasn't sure of this, but she trusted her friend. "Shadow! Bring it this way!"

Shadow heard Sakura's instructions and moved away. The Panther tried to chase Shadow, but even with its catlike agility, Shadow was too fast. Shadow finally moved towards a tree where Sailor Jupiter was waiting. The Panther tried to leap towards it, but Shadow sank into the ground and Jupiter unleashed her spell.

"Jupiter…Thunder…Dragon!"

The Panther came to a screeching halt when it saw what was coming. Jupiter unleashed an attack from her tiara and it was a good one. A huge bright thunder dragon came out and consumed the Darkness Panther. After bolts of electricity scattered, there was nothing left except a significantly weakened Panther.

"Now, Shadow!!" Sakura shouted.

Shadow heard Sakura's order and flowed out of the ground. It fell over the Panther and wrapped itself around it. The Darkness Panther was stuck and that gave Sakura the opportunity she needed.

Sakura walked up to the Darkness Panther. "Return to thy form which thou should be…Darkness Crystal!"

Sakura watched as the Panther morphed into the black Darkness Crystal. Then she took it in her hand. But that wasn't what Sakura was worried about. She was worried about Madison…but her fears were soon put to rest. The silhouettes slowly started to morph back into flesh and everyone impacted by the Panther's attack was being healed. Madison came back to them…and fell to her knees in her momentary weakness.

Eriol caught her in his arms. "Are you all right?"

Madison looked around. "W-What happened?"

Eriol embraced her. "It doesn't matter now…just as long as you're safe."

Sakura wanted to run up there, too. Her best friend just had a near-death experience. But she didn't get her chance, because something zoomed by her in the blink of an eye. And when Sakura looked at the palm of her hand…it was empty. The Darkness Crystal was gone.

"Looking for this?"

Sakura looked ahead to see someone had stolen the crystal. It was that same creep she saw when she was chasing the Speed Cheetah. And he was standing in front of three friends of his own.

"Give that back!" Sakura shouted.

"Who are you?" Jupiter demanded.

"I guess you should at least get that much." He started to motion for his introductions. "Quicksilver, Avalanche, The Blob, Toad, we're the Brotherhood of Mutants and we're taking this."

Sakura knew what she had to do now. She quickly got an idea of how to deal with this. She looked over at Li, who seemingly had the same idea. Sakura raised one of her Sakura Cards…but didn't use it yet. It was a diversion and the four mutants couldn't see Li ready to strike.

"Now, element: Fire!"

The four mutants were surrounded by a ring of fire and they couldn't escape. Quicksilver wasn't happy about that. "Hey, you can't do that! How are we supposed to run away now?"

Sakura finally released her card. "Windy! Release and dispel!"

Windy came out and flew towards Quicksilver. She grabbed the crystal from his hands and brought it back to Sakura.

"Hey, we stole that first!" The Blob growled.

Sakura took the crystal in her hand, but the Brotherhood wasn't finished. Quicksilver had an idea to escape the ring of flames.

"Hey, give me a boost!"

The Blob positioned himself and gave Quicksilver a boost. He leaped into the air and over the flames. When he landed on his feet, he ran towards Sakura with his super speed. Sakura saw him coming and kept a tight grip on the crystal. Now it was a struggle to see who would get it, but Sakura had backup.

Li tried to run towards Quicksilver, but the speed demon saw him coming and started running around in circles. No one could aim a single shot with the speeds that Quicksilver was running.

"What's the matter?" Quicksilver mocked. "Can't catch me?"

Before Sakura could do anything, Quicksilver ran towards her and pushed her down. Before she could react to that, Quicksilver was off and running again. This wasn't going to be easy. But there was one way to handle this.

Of course, when Li saw which card she was reaching for, he held her arm. "Sakura…are you sure? You know what it can do."

"I have to, Li," Sakura told him. "It's the best way." Then she went with her next move. "Time Card! Slow…time…down!"

Sakura struck time and everything…moved…a…lot…slower. That included Quicksilver, who was now moving at a snail's pace. But Li was right. Sakura was getting worn out, but she had to persevere. She reached for her next card.

"Erase Card! Release!"

Time was slowed down enough for Erase to come out and tap into Quicksilver's mind. With his mind being cleared, he fell to the ground and was knocked out. Erase then moved on to Quicksilver's three colleagues. Their minds had been cleared as well and they were out.

Sakura finally recalled Erase and Time. But when it was all over, Sakura collapsed to the ground and began breathing heavily. Li immediately rushed over and took her in his arms.

"I knew it," he said. "Time took too much out of you. Sakura, speak to me!"

Sakura moaned weakly. "I…I'll be…oh…I'll be ok."

Sakura liked lying back in the arms of her love. It made her feel so much better, but the fatigue had set in and Sakura felt like she was ready to fall asleep. But there was something else that got her attention.

_"Quicksilver! Avalanche! Report! Somebody answer me!"_

Eriol walked over towards the unconscious Quicksilver and found a cellular phone on him. Sakura figured that whomever that was must have sent these four after the crystals. The voice kept calling out for his minions.

Kero flew over to the phone. "Sorry, no one's in right now. Please leave a message after the click." And with that, Kero hung up the phone. "So what do we do with this?"

"Think about it, Kero," Suppi replied. "If that guy's in charge of these four and he calls again, he'll pretty much undo any effect by the Erase Card by reminding them why they're here. I say break it!"

Sailor Jupiter yanked the phone away. "It'll be my pleasure." She dropped the phone and proceeded to smash it with her boot.

"As good an idea as that might have been, now what?" Li asked. "We can't just leave them here…can we?"

Sakura thought of something at that moment. It was sure to solve this problem. So she tried to get up, but it wasn't easy. Every muscle in her body ached and it was a painful process to get to her feet. Li tried to hold her, but Sakura shook her head. This was something she had to do.

"I think I know what we can do. Everyone duck behind the bush."

  


~--------------------~

  


Toad opened his eyes. He had a throbbing headache. "Whoa…I feel like I just got hit by a truck. Anyone want to tell me what happened?"

Toad didn't remember a single thing. He looked around him and saw he was in unfamiliar territory. He had never seen this place before. It was a park, but it was none of the parks that were close to home. More than that, though, there were flames around them that were dying down. It was as if they had just woken up from a tough battle.

"Hey, you guys! Wake up! Where are we?"

Toad's three friends woke up. They seemingly didn't know what to make of this either.

"What happened?" Lance asked.

"Did we get dumped here or something?" The Blob added.

Everyone looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, not knowing what to do. They had no idea where they were.

But suddenly, Pietro blurted out, "Magneto!"

Everyone stood shoulder-to-shoulder when they saw him. Indeed, it was their leader, Magneto, standing before them.

"I am glad to see you four are safe," Magneto said.

"Just where are we?" Toad asked.

"We had an unfortunate incident with Xavier's team," Magneto answered. "You were all defeated and left here in Japan. Xavier attempted to wipe your minds clean and leave you all here. But it was fortunate that I managed to find you."

"He must have did a number on us," Toad said. "I can't remember a thing."

"The important thing is that you come home," Magneto continued. "The jet is still placed on an empty field just north of here. You will come back immediately and we shall deal with Xavier's team."

"What about you, boss man?" Pietro pointed out. "Aren't you coming with us?"

"I have business to deal with here," Magneto replied. "You four just return home and I'll catch up."

With those words, Magneto floated down the walkway until he was gone, leaving the four confused mutant students just standing in this strange park.

"Um…I guess we can't argue with that," Pietro said, breaking the silence. "Let's go."

The Blob pounded his fist into his palm. "They's gonna pay for this! Nobody dumps me in some other country and gets away with it!"

"Just wait 'til I get my hands on old Shades!" Lance added. "He's gonna wish he never met me."

"You think Evan will be ready this time?" Pietro grinned. "Nah, what am I thinking? That loser? He never could get the best of me. HAHAHA!"

Everyone was taking this latest setback with that laid back teenage spirit. But Toad wasn't feeling so good. Somehow, he felt that there was something he didn't know. There was something that didn't feel right about any of this.

But he could deal with that later. All Toad wanted to do was go home and watch some TV.

"Hey, you guys? As long as we're in Japan, should we try some of that sushi? I heard it's real good."

"NO!!" his three friends shouted.

Toad shrugged. Never was he able to get a smile out of his three friends.

  


~--------------------~

  


Sakura snickered from behind the bush. They bought the whole thing. So now that it was over…she recalled the Illusion Card.

"That was a great idea, Sakura," Eriol said.

Li didn't say anything. He just smiled, which was enough to make Sakura blush. That arduous task was finished. In the span of one day, Sakura had restored two crystals and subdued two threats. Already, this quest had proven to be extremely difficult…and Sakura began to wonder if it was too much for her.

Madison saw the look on her friend's face and tried to cheer her up. "Sakura…we're halfway through. There are only four crystals left."

"That's right," Eriol added. "There are only four crystals remaining…and when we have them…then this can all end."

That sounded so comforting to Sakura. Her summer was quickly coming to an end and instead of being a normal girl, Sakura found herself in the middle of a dangerous quest to save the world. It sounded so…unfair.

Then Sakura thought of something. It was something that should have hit her long ago. It didn't sound like a bad idea at all. In fact…it sounded like a wonderful idea. But…

…it also sounded like something that would change her life forever.

  


Next Time: Sakura goes home to think about…her life. She gets one idea, but doesn't want to tell anyone, so she goes to Lita. What do they share? And do they have time to share it before the fifth Crystal Beast appears? Come back for tomorrow, because what Sakura reveals could potentially change EVERYTHING!

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and DO NOT forget to review below!


	10. One Fateful Wish

Last Time: Sakura successfully restored the Darkness Crystal, but quickly found herself in a brief battle with the Brotherhood of Mutants. After using Time and Erase, Sakura used Illusion to send the Brotherhood a false message and send them home. The hunt is halfway over…and that gets Sakura thinking.

  


**Hunt For the Crystals: Episode 9**

  


Sakura didn't do this often. Night had fallen and she was very tired. In the span of one day she had gone after two Crystal Beasts, saved her friends from a dangerous octopus man from the United States, and thwarted four mutants bent on taking the crystals for themselves. Any other day, Sakura would have been fast asleep. But not tonight. Sakura had a lot of thinking to do.

Sakura was sitting on a lone tree branch outside her house. She didn't bother to change out of her pajamas, because she thought she might wake up Lita…or even worse, Kero. So she sat up on the tree branch on what was a hot summer night and started to reflect.

She held in her hands the Thunder Crystal and the Strength Crystal. Sakura still trusted Madison to hang on to the Speed Crystal and she gave the Darkness Crystal to Li. Yes, they were halfway done. This quest was halfway over.

"Sakura?"

Sakura looked down to see Lita standing on the ground below. "Lita? I'm sorry. I didn't wake you up, did I?"

Lita shook her head. "No…I just couldn't sleep…and I noticed you weren't in bed…then I looked out the window and saw you up here."

Sakura sighed. "Well…actually…I'm kinda glad you're out here. I really need someone to talk to…and I can't talk to Kero or any of my other friends about this."

Lita climbed up the tree and sat right next to Sakura. "Is something wrong, Sakura?"

Sakura paused. She wanted to begin this just right. "Lita…did you ever have a choice? Did you ever actually CHOOSE to become a Sailor Scout?"

Lita blinked. "Um…choose?"

"Yeah. I know you've liked it and everything, but did you actually have a choice in the matter?"

Lita hesitated briefly. "Uh…it just sort of happened. I never actually chose to become a Sailor Scout. Why do you ask?"

Sakura closed her eyes as she clenched the two crystals in her hands. "None of this was ever supposed to happen. Eight years ago, I was just supposed to be a normal ten-year old girl. I was just coming home from cheerleading practice that day. I never expected to find a magical book and I never expected to be the one to open it.

"Since that day…it was always my responsibility to make sure the cards didn't cause any damage and I've had to use the cards to help save the world. I was the one who had to seal all the cards and protect my friends. I almost got them killed a lot of times. But Lita…I never asked for that responsibility. I never asked to be the Sakura Card Mistress. And no one ever asked ME. It just…happened. I suddenly became an ordinary girl…with an extraordinary destiny.

"But I hate what my destiny's done to me. I can't count how many times I've put my friends and family in danger since it all started. Like the time one of the cards led my brother down a cliff, or like the time my best friend almost lost her voice, or like the time I almost lost everything…at the Final Judgment. I never had any say in the matter. It was always my destiny…and I thought it was all over. But in these last few years, so much more has happened…and I've always been the one to come to rescue.

"I never wanted any of that, Lita! I just wanted to be a normal girl! Do you have any idea what girls my age have to worry about? Friends, family, what to do on Friday night, boys, getting a makeover, taking a vacation, HAVING FUN! But me? I can't think about that…because in the back of my mind…I'll always have to think about my magic…and if the world's in danger, then it's always up to me. I don't want to think about magic anymore! I just want to have a normal life! It's not fair!"

Sakura squeezed the crystals a little tighter out of frustration. It made her feel a little better to get this all off her chest. It was a heavy burden to have to carry around all that angst.

"I…can relate," Lita said. "You don't know how hard it was to adjust to having a double life. I can't tell you how many relationships have been threatened and how many have fallen apart because I've had to live up to my responsibility as Sailor Jupiter. I can honestly relate to what you're saying. And while I wouldn't change my life…I can understand why you might want to change yours. But I don't know what to tell you, Sakura. We can't change our destiny. We just have to accept it."

Sakura finally opened her eyes and turned her head to face Lita. "What if there IS a way to change destiny?"

"What do you mean?" Lita asked incredulously.

Sakura's emerald eyes filled with hope. "Lita…the crystals…we're halfway through. And when we get them all…I'd get one wish. What if…I wished…that none of this ever happened?"

Lita gasped. "Sakura…do you realize what you're saying?"

Sakura nodded. "I know exactly what I'm saying. When we get the eight crystals and I put them back together…I'm going to wish I never found the Clow Book."

"B-But Sakura…have you thought of what might happen?"

"It means I'll get a second chance," Sakura answered. "I'll get a second chance to live my life the way I should have been living it. I can live the life of a normal person. I won't have to worry about magic or cards or anything."

"But what would your friends say?" Lita pointed out.

"I…don't know what to tell them. They might try and get me to change my mind. But I've made my decision. I don't want to do this anymore. I just want to be normal."

Lita frowned. "I hope you know what you're doing…because I don't have a good feeling about what you're going to do."

"I'm kinda scared, too," Sakura agreed. "But it's something that I want to do. I want to be in control of my destiny…for once."

Those were powerful words: for once. Lita realized it and didn't say anything else. Sakura was glad, because she was hoping Lita would just listen. If she had talked to anyone else, they might have tried to change her mind. But Sakura Avalon made up her mind. This would be her final quest. And when it was all over…it would be time to start over.

Lita started to climb down, but looked up once more. "Are you even going to tell any of your friends?"

"I don't know," Sakura replied. "Maybe I will…eventually."

Lita didn't look satisfied with that answer, but she didn't say anything else. She climbed down and started to make her way back inside. Sakura stayed out in that tree branch alone…thinking of her latest decision…a decision that would impact her life in ways that she couldn't possibly imagine.

  


~--------------------~

  


Li Shoran woke up early the next morning. This was the one thing he didn't like about living in Madison's guesthouse. Ever since Meilin went back to Hong Kong to help take care of his ailing mother, Li found himself waking up alone. Madison was far off in the distance in her room and her mother was away on business. So Li often found himself climbing onto the roof of the guesthouse and this day was no different.

As far as he could tell, everything was going just fine. Sakura had become much stronger and had overcome any obstacles that got in her way. Not only had she faced off with four Crystal Beasts, but she also faced other impromptu challenges. She was so strong. Li really admired that.

He was obviously daydreaming, because he didn't notice a hand tapping him on the shoulder. Li almost jumped, but instead he found himself slipping off the roof. If it wasn't for that hand that reached out for him, he might have fallen off. Li looked up to see Eriol.

"Don't…DO THAT!"

Eriol snickered. "Oh, dear descendent, after all we've been through, aren't I entitled to a little fun…at your expense?"

Li scowled. "No."

Eriol grinned. "You don't know how much I've needed to smile these last few days. I just wish this would all be over. You don't know how much I long to worry about simpler things."

"Like what?" Li asked.

Eriol sweatdropped. "Like Madison's birthday. It's on September 3rd and we're already halfway through August."

Li had nearly forgotten about his friend's birthday. In fact, she probably forgot about it herself. The whole hunt for the crystals had everyone distracted. Li was also itching for the end to come.

"Where is everyone?" Li asked. "Did you come alone?"

Eriol nodded. "Suppi said he had to catch up on his reading and get some rest after last night and Nakuru said she wanted to spend the day with Tori and Julian. So…it's just me."

Li smirked. "You do know that Madison's been sleeping in lately, right?"

"Really? That doesn't sound like her. Sounds more like Sakura."

Li frowned. "No…Sakura…hasn't been getting much sleep lately. She tells me she's been getting up really early."

"Oh…I don't like the sound of that. Something must be wrong."

"Yeah," Li agreed. "She never gets up early if she doesn't have to. I think something's bothering her. I just wish I knew what it was. Every time I ask her, she just changes the subject. It's like there's something she doesn't want to tell us."

"But what could it be?" Eriol asked. "Sakura's never kept any secrets from us."

Li didn't want to think about that. If Sakura was keeping a secret from him, then it had to be grim. What could she be keeping from him?

  


~--------------------~

  


Tori wasn't used to going out early in the morning, but that's what his new job required. Tori was lucky to find a job at the new restaurant in the promenade. He was getting a lot more experienced working as a waiter and he was sure that he wouldn't lose THIS job.

He got a call that there were already two customers. When Tori went out to the table outside, he was surprised to see Julian and Nakuru.

"What are you two doing here?" Tori asked.

Nakuru smiled dreamily. "We…just came to see how you were holding up. So how is it so far?"

"It's nothing too bad," Tori answered. "I'm a little surprised to see you two here, though."

"We found each other outside," Julian said cheerfully. "Isn't that a coincidence?"

"Yeah," Nakuru scowled. "Coincidence."

It was obvious that Nakuru didn't care much for Julian. She always had eyes for Tori, but he didn't exactly feel the same way. In fact, when Tori and Madison had their falling out, Nakuru tried hitting on him again. Tori couldn't believe that things were just like they used to be. That wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"So what can I get you?" Tori asked.

Nakuru grinned. "For me, a glass of water. For Julian…the entire left side of the menu."

"That's it?" Tori chuckled. "Are you on a diet today, Julian?"

"Just for today," Julian replied.

Tori took the two orders and turned around to walk back inside. But that's when he felt a fierce gust of wind. In fact…it was too fierce. The tables were starting to blow over and people were falling over. Then Tori looked up at the sky to see what looked like a large white eagle with a crystal imprinted on its chest. It flew across and landed on the street, screeching loudly and flapping its wings to create tremendous winds.

Tori wanted to go over to his friends, but that wasn't a problem. The huge winds blew his two friends over to him. The three of them then held their place by hanging on to a pole.

"What is that?" Tori asked.

"It's got a crystal on its chest," Nakuru replied. "Eriol told me about these. It's…a long story." Then she looked at Julian. "You know what we have to do, right?"

"What do you mean?" Julian asked curiously.

Nakuru tried to get to her feet, but it wasn't easy with the fierce winds. "You have to bring out your better half."

Julian wasn't sure about that idea. He looked at Tori, seemingly looking for an answer one way or another. Tori nodded. He knew that this was Julian's responsibility and that this situation called for Yue. All they needed, though, was a place to bring him out.

Tori suddenly spied an empty alley. "Over there!" Then he got an idea. "I'll distract it!"

Before his friends could protest, Tori rolled towards a metal trash can. He grabbed the trash can and tossed it towards the Eagle. The Eagle got conked on the head and didn't like the contact of metal on its cranium. It turned towards Tori and started stalking him. That gave Julian and Nakuru the opening they needed to run into the alley.

So Tori had done his job. But with the Eagle coming towards him, he couldn't help but think that this may not have been as much a distraction as it was a sacrifice.

  


~--------------------~

  


Xander peered out from behind the alley and saw the Wind Eagle land. But it didn't take long for him to go back into hiding. He crawled behind a dumpster when he saw two Earth people running towards the same alley. He began to wonder if they spotted him.

But when Xander stuck his head out from behind the dumpster, he saw that he wasn't spotted. He also saw that the two Earth people were transforming. One of them, the man, transformed into a blue guardian with white wings and a staff. The other one, the woman, transformed into a guardian with big butterfly wings. It wasn't like anything Xander had ever seen. It appeared that these two were going to fight the Wind Eagle.

As they headed out of the alley, though, Xander could only think of one thing. Were they strong enough?

  


~--------------------~

  


Tori saw that help had arrived. It came in the forms of his friends' true forms: Yue and Ruby Moon. Just before the Eagle could strike, Yue and Ruby Moon flew and landed right in front of Tori. They weren't about to let anything happen to him.

The Eagle screeched again and took to the sky. Yue and Ruby Moon followed. Tori looked up to see what was sure to be an intense fight.

Ruby Moon and Yue were about to begin, but the Eagle screeched and unleashed a tornado. The tornado wrapped up Ruby Moon and Yue and send them spiraling in circles. The tornado sent the two guardians crashing into a pile of tables in front of the restaurant. The Eagle then followed up by creating another tornado that sent the tables flying into the air. The tables then fell…and landed on Yue and Ruby Moon.

Despite being fatigued from the Eagle's attacks, Yue tried to fight back. He shot his ice crystal shards, but he couldn't aim them in the right direction. None of the shards made contact. The Eagle then swooped down and tackled Yue, sending him back into a pile of chairs. The Eagle was ready to attack Yue again. It screeched and was about to unleash a huge blast of wind and it was sure to take the guardian down. So Tori did the only thing he could do.

"YUE!!"

Tori ran in front of Yue and took the brunt of the blow. The wind blast struck Tori…and sent him crashing through the restaurant window.

Yue gasped. "Tori!"

It was all Tori heard…before he lost consciousness.

  


~--------------------~

  


While it was true the fight wasn't going in the favor of Yue, at least Tori had not been harmed…until that moment. Now the Eagle had sent Tori flying through the window. Yue knew what had to happen now.

"Ruby Moon!" he called out. "Go get the Mistress! Get Sakura!"

"What about you?!" Ruby Moon shot back.

"I'll be fine!" Yue shouted. "Just go get Sakura! I'll keep this thing busy!"

Ruby Moon didn't want to leave Yue. But the cold glare that came from Yue indicated that she had no other choice. Ruby Moon reluctantly flew off to find Sakura, leaving Yue one-on-one with the Wind Eagle.

And that's the way Yue wanted it. This Wind Eagle hurt Tori and for that, Yue wanted to take it down. Now…the fight had become personal.

  


Next Time: Yue and the Wind Eagle fight one-on-one…at least until Ruby Moon finds Sakura. And speaking of Sakura, will she ever tell her friends what she wants to wish for? And how will they react if she does?

  


Any comments? Go ahead and tell me what you think of this by mailing me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and of course you can tell me what you think by reviewing below!


	11. Avenging a Brother Against the Wind Eagl...

Last Time: Sakura made a revelation. She longed for a normal life and was willing to wish that she never found the Clow Book to get one. Meanwhile, the Wind Eagle struck…right at the restaurant where Tori was working. Although Yue and Ruby Moon tried to fend it off, the Eagle sent Tori crashing through the restaurant window. In a rage, Yue sent Ruby Moon to find Sakura…while he met the Eagle one-on-one.

  


**Hunt For the Crystals: Episode 10**

  


This fight had become personal. Yue looked back to see the fallen Tori, bloodied from the impact of going through the glass. He was glad he wasn't Julian at that moment, because Julian would have fallen apart upon seeing Tori like that. The attack on Tori left Yue enraged and he would take advantage of this chance to make the Eagle pay.

"I won't let you get away with what you did!"

The Eagle screeched and blew a strong wind towards Yue, but the guardian held his ground. When he saw a multitude of chairs being blown towards him, Yue formed his shield barrier to make sure they bounced off. Yue then shot his ice crystal shards at the Eagle, which hit…but weren't subduing the beast like he hoped.

The Eagle then took to the sky again. Yue looked back one more time to see his motivation. It was time for him to avenge Tori. So he took to the air and got ready for an air battle against the Wind Eagle.

  


~--------------------~

  


Sakura just finished washing her face. Not having slept well in the last few days, Sakura's eyes were practically filled with red lines. There were bags under her eyes and she yawned deeply. She did a lot of thinking last night and she made her decision. A decision that would change everything. A decision that would give her a chance…to live a normal life.

But maybe this would be her one day to sleep. There weren't any signs of any Crystal Beasts anywhere. There didn't seem to be any indicators of trouble.

"Sakura!"

That was Kero. Sakura rushed out of the bathroom and saw Kero and Lita looking out the window. Sakura ran over to the window and looked out to find…

"Ruby Moon?"

It was another old friend that Sakura hadn't seen in many years. It was Ruby Moon, Nakuru in her true form. Sakura opened her window and let her fly in. She didn't have a good feeling about this. If Ruby Moon was coming out after all these years…then that meant there was trouble.

"We have big trouble," Ruby Moon said bluntly. "Downtown at the promenade…one of the Crystal Beasts that Eriol told me about."

Sakura moaned softly. "Which one?"

"The Wind Eagle. Yue is fighting it right now…but I have a feeling he might be in over his head. I think he wanted to take it by himself after it attacked Tori."

Sakura gasped. "HOE?! It attacked Tori?!"

Ruby Moon nodded. "He took an attack meant for Yue and was thrown through a window. I'm sure he's ok, but still…"

"Get me over there!" Sakura shouted. "NOW!"

Ruby Moon perched herself on the window, while Sakura called for her wand. When she got her wand, she reached for her mode of transportation.

"Fly!"

Sakura almost never called for the Fly Card indoors, but this was an emergency. Sakura got on and looked over to see the fear on Lita's face. She knew what was coming.

"We don't have time to go over this again!" Kero snapped, echoing Sakura's thoughts. "Just get her, Ruby Moon!"

Ruby Moon complied and wrapped an arm around a reluctant Lita. Then she carried her out the window while Sakura flew out on Fly. Ruby Moon led the way downtown, with the screaming Lita in tow. Sakura followed, hoping she could reach Tori in time.

  


~--------------------~

  


Xander looked up at the sky to see the fight between the Wind Eagle and the powerful Earth guardian called Yue was still going on. The fight was going in favor of the Eagle and that wasn't good for Xander. He couldn't afford to let the beasts win, because he was supposed to collect the eight crystals when it was all over. Obviously, he couldn't get the crystals if they weren't restored to their crystal form.

Then Xander looked over towards the horizon. He could see someone flying, arriving at the scene. It was the other guardian, the one called Ruby Moon. She was carrying a screaming girl, who must have been afraid of flying. And flying in behind her…was a girl whom he recognized as the girl, Sakura. Only this time, she wasn't decked out in any of her fancy costumes. She almost looked scruffy in her pajamas. Still, though, Xander knew she was a force to be reckoned with.

Maybe now the tide would turn.

  


~--------------------~

  


Sakura finally saw it. It was a big white Eagle with a crystal inscribed on its chest. And it was doing battle with Yue. When Yue saw Sakura coming, he landed on the ground. So Sakura decided to do the same. She landed and recalled Fly, while Ruby Moon landed and allowed Lita to transform into Sailor Jupiter. Sakura then cried out to Yue.

"Yue! Where's Tori?!"

Yue looked over towards a nearby restaurant where the front window was shattered. Sakura instantly put everything aside and ran over to the shambles of the window and her fallen brother. He had lost consciousness and was bleeding from the cuts from the glass. Sakura was ready to cry. It was yet another example of the people she cared about getting hurt. This was the exact kind of thing that made her want to wish she never found the Clow Book.

Then Sakura turned her head to see the Eagle, the Wind Eagle. She knew that this wouldn't be easy, but hardly anything in her life ever came easy. Sakura slowly walked towards the Crystal Beast and she took out her first defense.

"Windy! Release and dispel!"

Windy came out and tried to wrap herself around the Eagle, but the Eagle shrugged Windy off with its wings. As hard as Windy tried, she couldn't get a grip on the Eagle. Sakura reluctantly recalled Windy and moved on to her next card.

"Fiery! Release and dispel!"

Fiery came out and rushed towards the Eagle. The Eagle saw that Fiery meant trouble, so it flew up into the air. Fiery followed and continued making a beeline for the Wind Eagle. The Eagle tried to defend itself the only way it could and that was by blowing a tornado around Fiery. But Fiery had ignited and the tornado only served to fan the flames and make them bigger. The tornado subsided and Fiery blew the flames towards the Eagle.

The Eagle was surrounded by flames and was screeching loudly. Fiery had done the job and was recalled. Now all that Sakura needed was for the Eagle to fall back to the ground, but it wasn't going quietly. It was struggling, but that's when Sakura's friends put the finishing touches. Ruby Moon and Yue both flew into the air and they both unleashed their crystal shard attacks, dazing the Wind Eagle further and it was Sailor Jupiter who delivered the final blow.

"Jupiter Thunder…Crash!"

The dazed Eagle was struck with the Thunder spell and combined with the flames of Fiery, the Wind Eagle could take no more. It came spiraling down until it landed on the ground with a sickening thud.

"The Eagle has landed!" Kero shouted, unable to resist the pun.

Sakura ran over to the burning Eagle and put it out of its misery. "Return to thy form which thou should be…Wind Crystal!"

After that tough fight, Sakura had subdued the Wind Eagle and had converted it to its crystal form. Sakura took the Wind Crystal in hand and immediately pocketed it. She had more pressing concerns. She ran to her unconscious brother.

"Tori! Tori! Speak to me!"

Nothing. Tori was out cold and it was obvious he needed a hospital. Sakura couldn't take him all the way there alone. She looked pleadingly at Yue and Ruby Moon. Ruby Moon transformed back into her false form, Nakuru, and walked over to pick up Tori. But Yue had not changed back. He wasn't displaying his usual cold demeanor. He looked…reluctant.

"I can't," Yue said. "Even he doesn't deserve to see this. He can't see Tori this way."

"We have no choice," Nakuru shot back. "We have to take him to the hospital."

Yue saw her point…and looked at Sakura. "I wish we didn't have to meet again under these circumstances."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah…me too."

Yue then began the transformation back. He changed back to Julian, and just as everyone feared, Julian gasped upon seeing Tori. "Tori! Is he ok?!"

"He needs a doctor!" Nakuru snapped. "We've got to get him to a hospital!"

Sakura couldn't stand to see this. She didn't want to see her brother like this and she didn't want to see Julian hurt like that. She couldn't take this anymore. She just turned and started to leave…alone. Kero tried flying over to her.

"Sakura…?"

"My mind's made up," Sakura said softly under her breath.

Kero tried to pry further, but Sakura held her hand up, indicating that she wanted to be by herself. The guardian beast reluctantly complied and stayed back and let Sakura walk away…alone.

  


~--------------------~

  


Something was wrong.

There was something in the tone of Sakura's voice that indicated something was wrong. It was something Kero felt he should know. Instead, it looked like Sakura wanted to be by herself. Kero wanted to go, but he didn't want to butt in, either. But there was no mistaking that something…was…wrong.

Sailor Jupiter shook her head. "This only made things worse."

That got Kero's attention. "What?"

Jupiter shrugged. "Nothing."

Kero flew right in front of Jupiter. "Is there something you know?"

"Uh…no…I don't want to talk about it."

"Wait a minute," Kero persisted. "If there's something you know, you have to tell me. Is something wrong with Sakura?"

"I can't tell you," Jupiter answered. "I promised."

"What do you know?" Kero asked again.

"I can't tell you!" Jupiter reiterated. Then she frowned. "Look…if you want to know…ask her yourself. But please…understand that I made a promise to Sakura that I wouldn't tell."

Jupiter tried to walk away and at first Kero decided not to follow. Then the guardian beast looked around to see the restaurant empty. Nakuru and Julian had carried Tori away and Sakura was already gone. So Kero decided to follow Sailor Jupiter and ask one more question.

"Can I at least have a hint?"

Jupiter sighed. "All I can say is…it concerns you…and everyone else…so I suggest you ask her yourself…before it's too late."

Kero didn't like the sound of that at all. There was obviously something huge he was missing. So he had to do the only thing he could do.

He had to find out what was wrong with Sakura. And he would do it as soon as he got home.

  


~--------------------~

  


Wilson Fisk took a look at today's newspaper and he didn't like what he saw. The front page had a huge picture of Doctor Octopus and it wasn't what he hoped for at all. Last night, Doc Ock was apprehended and today was shipped back to the United States for conviction and sentencing. There was no other way to say it. The Kingpin's ace in the hole was gone and, even with Spiderman back in New York, he had been foiled…again!

This was the worst thing that could happen. Without assistance, the Kingpin would not be able to collect the eight crystals and without the crystals, there was no way he could take over the world.

Then he saw someone else in the picture.

In the background of the picture, Fisk saw a familiar-looking boy. It was the same boy in the ceremonial robes he saw days earlier. That meant this was the same pack of misfits. It was the same group who had all the crystals.

"They still have the crystals," Fisk said to himself. "But they won't for long. I'll take them all myself if I have to."

All The Kingpin needed…was the right opportunity…or the right man.

"Hmm…maybe someone else can take them for me."

Fisk reached for his phone and made a call to one of his loyal minions. "Landon, this is Fisk. It's time to call our good friend. … Yes, I know he's rather dimwitted, but his loyalty will serve me well on this occasion. … That's right. Get him a plane to Japan, immediately! I require his services."

When Fisk hung up the phone, he chuckled. Maybe his plans for world domination hadn't gone down the tubes completely.

Maybe there was still a chance.

  


~--------------------~

  


Sakura got home early. Her father was still at the university and she had no idea how she was going to explain that Tori was in the hospital. She would have to worry about that later, because she went straight to the phone. She called Li and began to tell him that the latest crystal had been restored, leaving them with only three crystals remaining. The phone call ate up a lot of time and a few minutes later, Kero and Lita walked in.

She was hoping to relax with this phone call but it was too hard knowing that her brother was in the hospital and there were three other Crystal Beasts on the loose. But there was something else, too. Sakura suddenly saw Kero staring her right in the face…glaring a hole right into her.

Lita blinked. "I…need some fresh air. I'll leave you two alone."

Sakura watched as Lita walked out and Kero continued to stare Sakura right in the eye. "Um…Li…can I call you later? … Yeah. … Bye."

Kero's expression didn't change. He was staring coldly at Sakura.

"We have to talk."

  


Next Time: Will Sakura tell Kero of her plans? And little does anyone know that there will be ONE more person who will come after the crystals. And he'll come right out Sailor Jupiter's past. Come back next time to see what happens!

  


Any comments? Go ahead and mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and tell me what you think by reviewing below!


	12. A Friendship Strained

Last Time: Sakura defeated the Wind Eagle and got the Wind Crystal, but not without a price. Tori had to be taken to the hospital and Sakura moved further towards making that big decision. Seeing something was wrong, Kero tried to get info from Sailor Jupiter, who refused to tell. So Kero did the only thing he could do. He asked Sakura himself.

  


**Hunt For the Crystals: Episode 11**

  


There was an awkward silence. It was almost as if Sakura knew what was coming. Kero was determined to get some answers from her. After all they had shared, Kero couldn't understand what she could possibly want to keep from him.

"What…do you want to talk about?" Sakura finally asked, trying to sound completely natural…but not succeeding.

"There's something wrong, isn't there?" Kero began. "Sakura, is there something you're not telling me?"

Sakura shrugged. "What makes you say that?"

"It's been almost eight years, Sakura," Kero replied. "You can't keep anything from me. I know when something's wrong. What did you mean back there when you said your mind was made up?"

Sakura turned away. "I…don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?" Kero asked, now feeling more concerned. "Is it THAT bad?"

Sakura sighed deeply. "Kero…when I get all eight crystals…I can wish for whatever I want…right?"

"That's what the legend says."

"So…I can wish for…anything?"

"Um…yeah…anything."

Silence.

Sakura nodded. "That's good." Then she looked at Kero…and frowned. "No…I…I…I still don't know if I should." Her voice then lowered to a whisper. "I can't imagine life without you, Kero."

That made Kero even more curious. "What are you talking about? Sakura…what is it? Tell me!"

"I can't," Sakura said softly.

"I thought we never kept anything from each other," Kero said sadly.

Sakura closed her eyes. Kero could see there was a deep internal strife going on within the Sakura Card Mistress. But he just couldn't figure out what it was.

"…………Promise not to get mad?"

"Why would I get mad?" Kero smiled. "It couldn't possibly be that bad. It's got something to do with that one wish, doesn't it?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. I know what I want to wish for."

"What is it?"

"…………I want to wish……that I never found the Clow Book."

Silence.

In one sentence, Kero's whole world fell apart. That one sentence broke his heart…and would probably break the hearts of everyone around Sakura.

Silence.

"**WHAT?!?!** How could you even **THINK** about that?!?!"

Sakura buried her face in her pillow. "You see? This is exactly what I didn't want! Don't make this any harder!"

"But why would you even consider such a thing?! You're the world's most powerful sorceress!"

"That's just it! I can't take this anymore, Kero! I can't take being a magical girl anymore! I just want to have a normal life! And I can't take anyone else getting hurt!"

"Hurt?" Suddenly, it all hit Kero. "It's about Tori, isn't it?"

"It's about a lot of things. But seeing Tori get hurt again and after watching what almost happened to Madison with the Darkness Panther…I can't take it anymore. I can't put anyone else at risk. I just want to live a normal life."

"Sakura, you know that sort of thing can always happen. It comes with the territory. You knew that when you first agreed to this."

"AGREED?! I NEVER agreed to any of this!! I didn't ask for any of this to happen!" Sakura then hesitated. Then she calmed down…and continued. "Kero…do you remember what happened seven years ago? The last time Tori got hurt…with the Mirror Card?"

Kero knew that day all too well. It was the day the Clow Cards discovered Sakura was a Cardcaptor. "Yeah. I remember."

"Do you remember what we talked about when it was all over?"

Kero had to think a little harder, but then it hit him. "Yeah…I remember…"

  


~----------FLASHBACK----------~

"You know," Sakura began, "I just can't stop thinking about what happened to Tori. He shouldn't have been hurt like that."

"It's not your fault," Kero pointed out.

"Yeah, but…the Mirror Card went after Tori because of me. I'm the one who became a Cardcaptor…but he has to pay the price for it. Who else is gonna pay? It just doesn't seem fair. Do I have the right to put my friends and family in danger?"

"You didn't choose this, Sakura. It chose you."

~----------END FLASHBACK----------~

  


"And that's my whole point," Sakura said. "I didn't choose any of this. It chose me. Well, now I have the chance to make a choice. For once in my life, I can control my own destiny. And I've made my decision."

Kero was making a plea at this point. "But Sakura…have you thought about what might happen to me if you go through with that decision?"

Sakura buried her face in her pillow again. "You think I haven't thought of you, Kero? Of course I have! But I just can't stand this anymore. How much have I had to suffer because I became a Cardcaptor? How much have I had to sacrifice to master these cards? There's so much I could have if I just decided to live a normal life! It's all I want! I want to be normal! And the only way that can happen…is if I wish I never found the Clow Book! It'll be my only chance to start over!"

Kero was saddened by the words coming out of Sakura's mouth. "But…don't you care about me?"

Sakura raised her head. Her eyes were filled with tears. "I love you, Kero. But please understand…it's just been too weird. Between all the magic, the reincarnations, the battles, and watching everyone I've ever cared about suffer…I just can't take this anymore! Please don't make this any harder for me!"

Kero didn't want to give up, but frankly he was speechless. He never would have expected such a thing to come out of Sakura. And what made it so much sadder was the fact that she wasn't going to change her mind. Sakura really was going to make that wish…and that meant…there would be NO chosen Cardcaptor. The Clow Book would remain closed…forever.

Kero sadly flew over to his desk. He only wished there was some way to change her mind. But before he could say one last thing…the phone rang.

"Duty calls…again," Sakura said cynically. She picked up the phone. "Hello? … Hi, Madison. … Where? … What does it look like? … A Turtle? … I'll get Lita and Kero and I will meet you at the park. … Yue? No I don't think that's a good idea. We should leave Julian and Nakuru with Tori. … So we'll meet you there. Bye, Madison."

Kero flew despondently out of the desk. "Trouble?"

Sakura nodded. "I'll explain on the way."

  


~--------------------~

  


Xander took out his device. It detected another crystal in the area and he was ready to go out and find it again. It was almost time to steal the crystals. There were only three remaining.

Then something happened. As Xander was about to leave the alley, he felt a powerful wind blowing towards a small part of the alley. Xander ducked behind a nearby dumpster…and couldn't believe what he was seeing.

A portal was opening…and someone was coming out of the portal.

  


~--------------------~

  


The plan was successful. He had made it into…the future. He looked behind him as the portal closed. It was one of his mistress's last displays of power. She had nothing left. So Malachite had to make this opportunity count. He took out his communicator and contacted his mistress, Queen Beryl.

"It worked, Queen Beryl. I have arrived in the future."

On Malachite's screen was a gasping Queen Beryl. This was indeed her last resort. After Jedite, Nephite, and Malachite's beloved Zoicite had fallen, Malachite was the only one of Beryl's generals that remained. He was her number one man and with the Negaverse set to collapse any day now, he was sent on this mission that could forever turn the tide in the favor of the Negaverse.

"Are you all right?" Malachite asked.

_"I exerted too much energy in opening the portal to the future. But…the rewards will be worth it. You are my most trusted soldier, Malachite. This is an extremely important mission that will affect the future of the Negaverse as we know it."_

"Just what is it I am supposed to do?"

_"I've sent you to the moment in time where the legendary eight crystals have risen from their burial plots beneath the Earth."_

"Legendary eight crystals?"

_"Legend has it that there were eight crystals buried beneath the Earth. They would rise again in the form of eight Crystal Beasts after ten thousand years. I have sent you to the point where ten thousand years have passed and the eight crystals have risen. The eight crystals have the power of Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Thunder, Speed, Strength, and Darkness respectively. Once restored to their crystal forms by the incantation, the crystals can then be pieced together. Whomever pieces the crystals together will be granted one wish before they return to their burial plots._

"Find these eight crystals. Once you piece them together, you must wish for the Negaverse to encompass that whole universe. This is important, Malachite! The Sailor Scouts have proven themselves to be too strong and I fear that, as it stands, the Negaverse will be unable to overcome them. That's why it is imperative that we get that one wish!"

"Do not worry, Queen Beryl. I shall find these crystals. And the Negaverse WILL take over. I will let nothing stand in my way."

_"You're the last hope the Negaverse has, Malachite. DO NOT FAIL!"_

With those shrill three words, the communication feed was cut off. Malachite was frustrated that all the forces of the Negaverse could not defeat the Sailor Scouts. It was so frustrating that it had to come to this. But Malachite was always loyal. He would obey Queen Beryl, no matter what happened…even after she ruthlessly killed his beloved Zoicite.

Eight crystals. That was the mission. Malachite was determined to succeed and, in this part of Japan, he was sure that there would be no one to stand in his way.

So all he had to do…was find the Crystal Beasts. A simple task, for sure.

  


~--------------------~

  


It was time to go crystal hunting again and that meant Sakura had to go receive her next costume. And much to Sakura's surprise, Madison redid one of her old costumes…just to bring back memories. It was Sakura's old Fairy Princess costume, the one she used to chase the Dash Card seven years ago. The only difference was that the wings were a little bigger and the color was blue, but this was definitely the costume. Sakura smiled when she thought back to those days. Then she frowned. Those were the days she was hoping to erase.

Sakura wasn't used to flying at such a low altitude, but Sailor Jupiter still had that fear of flying. Jupiter walked alongside Eriol and Li. Suppi stayed perched on Eriol's shoulder and Madison was sitting behind Sakura, flying alongside her. Then Sakura noticed someone was missing.

She was always used to Kero either being in her pocket or flying along with her. Neither was happening at that moment. Kero was bringing up the rear, with a despondent look on his face. Sakura felt like breaking down right there. She hurt the guardian beast deeply when she announced her plans. Kero looked like he had been betrayed. Sakura didn't want to have to say goodbye to Kero…but it was for the best…wasn't it?

"What's wrong with Kero?" Madison asked concernedly.

Sakura hung her head down. "I'm sure it's nothing."

Then they reached their destination: the beach. While most portions of the beach were always crowded, Sakura and her friends found themselves in a part of the beach that was isolated. And that's where Sakura got the sense that something was out of balance.

Then Li pointed his sword towards the trouble. Sakura could see the next Crystal Beast. It was out in the ocean. And just as Madison told her earlier, it was a Turtle…the Water Turtle.

"How do we fight something in the water?" Jupiter asked.

Sakura knew the answer to that and reached for one of her cards. "Float Card! Give me the power to walk on water! Float Card! Release and dispel!"

Once the Float Card was released, Sakura slowly walked towards the ocean. She thought she would have at least one form of backup, but when she looked back…she found no one. Kero was still with the rest of Sakura's friends. He wasn't flying by her side. And that left Sakura sad. It looked like she would be on her own.

As much as Sakura wished for Kero to fight alongside her, she knew she had to go on, with or without him. So she kept on moving forward, the soles of her feet grazing the water, yet not getting wet thanks to the power of Float. Finally, Sakura stopped when she reached the Water Turtle.

The Turtle didn't waste any time in attacking. But it appeared that the Turtle's power was in controlling the water, because Sakura immediately saw a tidal wave coming towards her. Sakura gasped and reached for another card.

"Shield Card! Release!"

The protective bubble that was Shield came out just as the tidal wave came crashing down on top of Sakura. When the water cleared…Sakura was fine. All the impact of the tidal wave came down upon the Shield Card, leaving Sakura unharmed.

Sakura looked back at the shore one more time. Her friends were still back there and Sakura realized that she was too far out of reach. None of them could reach her.

She was on her own.

  


~--------------------~

  


Madison was ready to panic. Sakura wasn't faring well against the Water Turtle. All she was doing was defending herself with the Shield Card. She couldn't get any offense in and Madison's best friend needed help. Of course, none of them could reach her; Sakura was too far away. But there was someone who could reach her. That was Kero…but he wasn't making any moves.

"Kero! Sakura needs help!" Madison pleaded.

Much to Madison's (and everyone else's) surprise…Kero just turned his back. "So what? What do I care?"

Madison gasped. "What did you just say?"

"I don't care!" Kero snapped.

Madison was in shock. "Kero…what are you saying? Listen to yourself!"

Kero ignored Madison and started to fly away, off to the distance away from everyone. But just then…Sailor Jupiter stood in front of Kero.

"She told you…didn't she?"

Kero nodded. "Yeah…she did. Just leave me alone."

There were so many questions going through Madison's head at that moment. When she looked at Eriol and Li, they were clearly in shock also. None of them could believe the little guardian beast's sudden outburst. One person who wasn't shocked, apparently, was Sailor Jupiter.

"Kero!" Li shouted. "Come back here!"

Nothing. The little guardian beast just sadly floated over to a rock…and sat down. He sighed deeply and looked the other way. Madison saw so many emotions on Li's face. It looked like he wanted to snap Kero in half. He was also afraid…that something was about to happen to Sakura.

Li suddenly turned to Jupiter. "What's going on? You know something, don't you?"

Jupiter sighed. "I guess there's no point in keeping secrets anymore. I'll tell you later. Right now, Sakura needs help."

"We can't help her, though!" Madison exclaimed. "She's too far away. The only one who could reach her is someone who can fly."

"I think we all know someone else who can fly," Eriol suddenly said. He looked at Suppi.

Suppi flew off Eriol's shoulder and nodded. "I can do it! Just leave it to me!"

Suppi started flying towards the ocean just as his wings began to glow a faint color. He began the transformation into his true form. And soon enough, it was Spinel Sun who was going to Sakura's rescue.

Madison clasped her hands together…hoping that Sakura would come out of this ok.

  


~--------------------~

  


Sakura wasn't getting any chances to strike. The Water Turtle hadn't moved an inch, yet it was getting the best of Sakura by telepathically moving the ocean's water. She realized she couldn't just keep hiding under the Shield Card, so she took a big risk and recalled it. Then Sakura jumped on the Water Turtle's back. She was ready to try a tried and true strategy.

"Power Card!"

Sakura managed to release the Power Card and was ready to clobber the Water Turtle, but the Turtle growled and shrugged Sakura off. It thrust her off its back and Sakura landed on her back on top of the ocean, not sinking because Float was still out and keeping Sakura above water. Sakura gasped when she saw that the Water Turtle was trying to finish her off.

The Water Turtle unleashed a powerful whirlpool underneath Sakura. It was whirling quickly and looking to suck anything in. And then, to Sakura's shock…she found her foot was in the whirlpool. The whirlpool was overcoming Float's power. Sakura was being slowly sucked in.

Sakura knew there had to be another card she could use to escape, but she couldn't think fast enough. Sakura was sinking and that was all that was running through her head. She couldn't think of an escape plan. She couldn't believe it.

She couldn't believe…that it was about to end like this.

  


Next Time: Sakura's slowly being sucked into the Water Turtle's whirlpool. Will Spinel Sun save her in time? Will Kero put aside his feelings of apathy to help the best friend he's ever had? Come back next time to find out!

  


Any comments? Tell me what you think of this story by mailing me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below.


	13. One Long Night. Two Long Battles

Last Time: Poor Kero found out what Sakura's going to wish for and was heartbroken. Malachite arrived from the past, ready to hunt for the crystals on behalf of the Negaverse. The Water Turtle was spotted near the beach and Sakura went out to the middle of the ocean to confront it. The fight didn't go well. The power of the Float Card was overcome and Sakura is slowly being sucked into a whirlpool. Now what'll happen?

  


**Hunt For the Crystals: Episode 12**

  


The situation wasn't getting any better. Despite having hardly moved an inch, the Water Turtle had just about put Sakura away. She couldn't escape the force and intense gravity of the whirlpool. Sakura tried one last hope.

"Windy!"

Sakura released Windy, not to attack the Water Turtle, but to help her. Windy saw Sakura's precarious position and immediately tried to pull her out. It was no use, though. Sakura was still being pulled ever so slowly into the whirlpool.

"Sakura!"

Sakura turned her head to see that someone came to her rescue. It was Spinel Sun, Suppi's true form. Spinel Sun opened his mouth to release a powerful beam. But it only bounced off the Water Turtle's shell. Then Sakura noticed something. There was a blue aura that was emitting from the Turtle's cranium.

"Spinel Sun! Aim for the head!"

Spinel Sun flew in place and shot his beam out again. This time, the beam struck the Turtle right on the head. The Turtle moaned in pain and started shaking its head rampantly. Sakura could also see that the whirlpool was starting to subside.

"It's working! Windy!"

Windy saw what Sakura wanted and went right after the Water Turtle. She tried to bind its head, but the Turtle wasn't going down quickly enough. With Float no longer threatened by the whirlpool's power, Sakura could stand on her feet again. That gave her a chance to give Windy some assistance.

"Water!"

Combining Windy with Water was always a risk, but this isn't the first time they've worked together. And this time they were working together just fine, because Water came out and helped Windy to clamp down on the Water Turtle's head. But the Water Turtle still wasn't getting weakened. And that's when Sakura got her next idea. She recalled Windy and then gave Water the next order.

"Water! Drench it!"

Water looked towards the ocean water and had it splash over the Water Turtle. And that would leave Sakura with was sure to be another huge risk. Sakura recalled Water and released…

"Thunder Card! Release and dispel!"

Bolts of thunder came out and, just like Sakura thought, shocked the Water Turtle. The water that had drenched the Turtle left it sure to conduct electricity. But Sakura wasn't exactly dry as a bone, so she was feeling some of the shock as well. But the punishment she was taking was nothing near the agony the Water Turtle was feeling.

When the bolts of lightning had cleared, Sakura's costume was singed and she had some cuts and bruises. Meanwhile, the Water Turtle was out cold. That's all that mattered. Sakura walked up to the Water Turtle.

"Return to thy form which thou should be…Water Crystal!"

Sakura restored the Water Crystal and collapsed backwards. She was expecting to fall flat on her back, since the Float Card was still out. Instead, she was caught by Spinel Sun.

"Are you all right?"

Sakura nodded weakly. "I'll be fine." She looked at the blue Water Crystal. "I'm just glad this is almost over."

With those words, Sakura was ready to walk back to shore, but she was worn out. So Spinel Sun offered her a ride and Sakura accepted. Sakura got on the guardian's back and flew back towards the beach…

…knowing there were only two crystals remaining.

  


~--------------------~

  


Madison looked out into the distance. "Here they come!"

Madison was ecstatic to see Sakura and Spinel Sun were coming back in one piece. But Sakura didn't look like she came out of this unscathed. When Spinel Sun landed, Sakura fell over and collapsed on her knees. Madison gasped when she saw her best friend filled with cuts and bruises. She was singed from what must have either been one of the Water Turtle's attacks…or one of her own.

"Sakura…are you all right?"

Sakura didn't answer. Instead she looked out towards the distance and Madison saw just what she was looking for. Kero was still…depressed. He got up…and started to fly away.

"Kero, wait!" Sakura pleaded.

Without waiting for anyone else, Sakura ran after Kero, leaving everyone confused. Madison knew she obviously missed something. There was some sort of falling out between Sakura and Kero…and she wished she knew what it was about. Of course, everyone else saw that there was someone else who might have known exactly what was going on.

Sailor Jupiter sheepishly tried to walk out, but she didn't get far. Li was standing right in front of her. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Well…I AM staying with Sakura," Jupiter tried saying. "So I'd better…"

"You know something," Li said coldly. "And you're not going anywhere until you tell us what's going on?"

Jupiter sighed. "I guess there's no point in hiding this anymore. It's…about something Sakura told me the other night."

By this time, Spinel Sun had changed back into his false form. Jupiter had everyone's undivided attention.

"What'd she tell you?" Madison asked.

Jupiter sighed again. "Sakura knows what she wants to wish for…when this is all over."

Silence.

"Well…what is it?" Eriol asked.

Jupiter closed her eyes and hung her head down. "She said…she wants to wish she never found the Clow Book."

Silence.

Everyone was completely shocked. Li looked mortified. Madison's jaw was hanging open. Eriol was in disbelief.

"She wants…what?" Eriol asked.

"To wish she never found the Clow Book…so she could have a normal life."

Everyone looked at each other. No one wanted to believe that that's what Sakura wanted. But from the way Kero was conducting himself, then it had to be true. Kero must have realized that if Sakura never found the Clow Book…then he would have never been released. Kero must have felt betrayed.

"She can't do that," Li said softly to no one in particular.

Madison didn't want to even think about what would happen if Sakura made that wish. She didn't forget that it was actually the discovery of the Clow Cards that brought them closer together. Their friendship actually became stronger when Sakura became a Cardcaptor.

There was more to it, though. Madison looked back…at Eriol. If Sakura had never become a Cardcaptor…Eriol would have never come into their lives. If she made that wish…Madison would be all alone. Was Sakura really going to do that?

"I have to find her!" Li suddenly shouted.

Li ran away, without waiting for anyone else to follow. Madison suddenly realized one more thing. One more VERY important thing. If Sakura never found the Clow Cards…would Li have ever come into their lives?

Those were all questions that had to be considered. But was Sakura even thinking…or was she blinded? Maybe Li could help her think straighter. Because Sakura couldn't go on and make that wish.

  


~--------------------~

  


"Kero, please wait!"

"Why should I?"

"Please talk to me, Kero!" Sakura pleaded.

Sakura finally caught up to Kero as he was flying down a lone empty street. She saw how hurt he was and Sakura desperately wanted to talk to him. If they were indeed down to their last few days, then Sakura didn't want them to be like this.

"What's there to talk about?" Kero said sourly. "You made your decision. I won't change your mind. I guess I'm just a little disappointed. I thought you cared about me."

"But I do care about you, Kero!" Sakura wailed. "This is just…something I have to do."

Kero stared coldly at Sakura. "You have to do it, huh? Then you'll understand why I'm not talking to you anymore. It'll be easier on the both of us if we just end our friendship right now." Kero sighed deeply. "I don't know who said it…but someone once said that with great power comes great responsibility. It's a shame. I thought you were stronger than this, Sakura. I thought…you could handle all the responsibility that came with being the Sakura Card Mistress. It's too bad I was wrong."

Sakura was almost in tears. Those words were hitting her hard. Sakura thought hard about what she was doing. Was she really turning her back on her responsibility? Was she taking the easy way out? She didn't know what to think…but Sakura didn't want to change her mind.

Sakura turned around and let a tear roll down her cheek. Kero was literally leaving her life…and she couldn't say anything to bring him back. And it didn't look like he was going to say anything, either.

"FIRE!!"

Sakura raised her head. That was an unusual word for Kero to say under these circumstances, but then Sakura saw the danger. She turned around and saw Kero right by the road's grass…which was on fire. Sakura wanted to believe this was all natural…but when she looked in front of her…she saw that it wasn't.

Sakura sweatdropped and her eyes dotted at the sight before her. She saw something rise from the ground…and breathe fire. It was a black Dragon…about five times her size.

"The F-F-Fire Dragon?"

Kero suddenly flew right by Sakura. "Good luck."

"Kero! Aren't you going to help me?"

"Why should I? Give me one good reason!" 

Sakura tried to smile. "Because I want our friendship to end on a good note…with us fighting side-by-side."

Kero didn't look convinced, but Sakura's emerald green eyes were making a desperate plea. She wanted one last memory with her friend, Kero…despite the fact that Sakura would forget everything when the crystal quest was all over. The little guardian beast seemingly want to fly away…and spend his last few moments in peace…away from all contact.

But Kero sighed. "One more time…for old time's sake."

Kero's wings began to glow a faint color and that began the transformation. The guardian beast was changing into his true form. In moments, there was no Kero…there was only the guardian Keroberos.

Keroberos bent down and Sakura knew what it meant. She climbed onto the guardian's back and got ready for the next fight. The Dragon turned to face them and breathed a tremendous breath of fire, which Keroberos avoided by taking to the sky. Sakura stood up and went for her best defense.

"Water!"

The Water Card came out and rushed the Dragon, but without any nearby sources of water to control, Water could only try and attack the Dragon directly. That didn't go well. The Dragon was easily shrugging Water off. Seeing that Water wasn't faring well, Sakura recalled her and tried to regroup.

The Dragon tried firing off another round of fire. Keroberos couldn't move out of the way fast enough, but he used his shield barrier for protection.

"Sakura…look out there!"

Sakura looked out towards the distance and found the ocean. "It's water…but it's way too far away."

"There may be another way," Keroberos responded. "I can try and push the Dragon towards the ocean."

"How?"

"The Big Card!"

Sakura's face brightened. It was certainly worth a try. "Ok…we'll use the Big Card!"

With a solid game plan in mind, Sakura and Keroberos landed. Sakura jumped onto the ground and wasted no time taking out the Big Card.

"Big Card! Make Keroberos grow! Big Card! Release and dispel!"

The magic of the Big Card began to work on Keroberos. He was growing right before Sakura's eyes and when it was all over, he stood face-to-face and nose-to-nose with the large Fire Dragon. The huge guardian began to take big steps towards the Dragon; with each step covering a lot of ground. Sakura knew she wouldn't be able to keep up on her feet.

"Fly!"

Sakura released Fly and jumped on her wand, ready to move. But before she could go anywhere…

"Sakura!"

Sakura looked back to see Li running towards her…and he was by himself. Sakura flew over to him. "Li! What are you doing here?"

"What is that?" Li asked, ignoring Sakura's question.

"It's the Fire Dragon!" Sakura answered. "Hop on!"

Li didn't hesitate in getting on Sakura's wand. They both flew up and watched the ongoing battle between Keroberos and the Fire Dragon. They both unleashed a breath of fire. The attacks offset and that resulted in an explosion. Sakura and Li were almost blown away, but they managed to stay safe.

"What's he trying to do?" Li asked.

"He's trying to push the Dragon towards the ocean," Sakura replied. "But…it's not working too well."

Sakura felt helpless. There was nothing she could do. This was down to Keroberos versus the Dragon. Sakura couldn't intervene…or at least that's what she thought.

Keroberos decided to take to the air. He flew a foot off the ground and built up steam, leading to a tremendous tackle that knocked the Dragon backwards. The Dragon was stunned and Keroberos used that opportunity to begin pushing the Dragon towards the ocean. It was going great at first. The Dragon was being moved closer to the ocean and all it could do was blow fire into the sky. But as the Dragon inched close to the ocean, it started to regain its footing. There was now a standoff. Both Keroberos and the Dragon tried to push each other back, but there was a stalemate.

"I wish there was something I could do," Sakura said, as she flew closer to the scene.

Sakura knew that enough water would douse any fire the Dragon had within it. If only Keroberos could push it a little closer, but it looked like the Dragon had too much energy. It was standing its ground.

"Wait, I got it!" Li suddenly exclaimed. "What about the Wave Card?"

Sakura raised her head. That sounded like a solid game plan. And with the Dragon inching closer to the ocean and no homes around, it was sure to work without wreaking havoc. So Sakura reached in for the Wave Card.

"Wave Card! Rise and fall on the Dragon! Wave Card! Release and dispel!"

Sure enough, the ocean waters began to rise in a huge tidal wave. It was heading right for the Dragon. Keroberos saw it and took to the sky. The Dragon couldn't react fast enough. The wave buried it in water, leaving it significantly weakened. And that left Sakura with one more step to take.

"Freeze Card!"

Freeze came out in its massiveness and approached the weakened Dragon and it began to freeze in an enormous ice cube. The Dragon was out of it and that gave Sakura the chance she needed. She landed right beside the frozen Dragon.

"Return to thy form which thou should be…Fire Crystal!"

As big as it was, the Dragon soon shrank down to its crystal form. It was a red crystal that fit in the palm of Sakura's hand. And that should have been the end of her night. Sakura recalled all of her cards, including Big which let Keroberos shrink down to his normal size. Then the guardian changed back into his false form.

"Are you all right, Kero?" Sakura asked.

Kero…smiled. "I'm fine. I guess it was great…to do that one last time. I'm gonna miss it."

Sakura frowned. This big step was getting more and more difficult to make. But what made everything harder…was Li…who had a hold of Sakura's arm.

"We have to talk."

"About what?" Sakura asked, knowing exactly what he meant.

"You know what he means, Sakura."

That was Eriol. The rest of Sakura's friends were finally catching up and they must have seen the fight with the Fire Dragon. Sakura saw Eriol with Suppi, Madison, and…Sailor Jupiter.

"You weren't supposed to say anything," Sakura said…sounding betrayed.

"They had to find out, Sakura," Jupiter said. "When were you planning to tell them? When it was all over?"

Sakura tried to say something, but Li shook his head. Sakura stayed silent. She suddenly found herself speechless.

Li faced the rest of Sakura's friends. "Let's go back to Madison's house. But…when we get back…Sakura and I need to talk…alone."

Knowing that the couple had some things they needed to work out, everyone kept their distance…and let Sakura and Li walk in front…alone. They had a lot to talk about and Sakura knew she was going to hear it all.

But even Li couldn't change her mind…could he?

  


~--------------------~

  


Having seen the intense fight, Malachite watched on from the distance. The girl and her beast looked to be very formidable opponents who were very skilled. Malachite didn't know how many crystals they had, but they must have had a lot by now. Later on, though, something else got his attention.

The girl, the beast (who had changed into a stuffed animal), and what must have been her boyfriend were joined by a group of friends. Another young girl, another young man with a stuffed animal on his shoulder, and…Sailor Jupiter.

"The Scouts are still around," Malachite muttered to himself.

He knew exactly what that meant. Queen Beryl's fears were true. If Jupiter was still around, then that meant that the Negaverse WOULD eventually be taken down by the Sailor Scouts. And that meant that the only way to ensure victory for the Negaverse would be to take those eight crystals.

Malachite chuckled to himself. She was only one Sailor Scout. She couldn't possibly defeat him. And this other girl? She had most likely never met the likes of him…and she would never win.

That couldn't be the final crystal, but Malachite needed a head start. So while they walked out, it became clear that it was just about time…for him to show himself.

The fight was set to begin.

  


Next Time: Before Sakura and Li can get to that talk, Malachite reveals himself and there's a sudden fight for the crystals. Can Malachite be beaten? And where is the final Crystal Beast…and what does it look like?

  


Any comments? Go on and mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	14. Villainy On Many Fronts

Last Time: Two for the price of one! Sakura defeated the Water Turtle and in her rush to find Kero, ended up finding the Fire Dragon. Sakura and Kero fought side-by-side (for the last time?) and beat the Fire Dragon. Meanwhile, the rest of Sakura's friends found out what she wanted to wish for and they were shocked. And Li wants to have a talk with her. But what they don't know…is that Malachite, an old enemy of Sailor Jupiter's, is about to come out of the shadows.

  


**Hunt For the Crystals: Episode 13**

  


Sakura stayed silent. She didn't want to say anything and she had a feeling that she wouldn't get much of a chance to plead her case. Her friends were all bringing up the rear, leaving Sakura to walk side- by-side with Li.

"Sakura…why didn't you tell me?" Li asked sadly.

Sakura hung her head down. "Because I knew you'd react this way. And I didn't want you to make me change my mind."

"I'm not going to force you to change your mind," Li said softly. "I'm only asking that you think about what you're doing."

"What's there to think about?" Sakura asked indignantly. "Li…I've had it with being the Sakura Card Mistress. I can't take having everyone I care about getting hurt. Tori's still in the hospital. Madison was almost killed trying to save me from the Darkness Panther. And that's not counting all the times that I've almost gotten everyone killed when I was out capturing the cards.

"Meanwhile, everyone's out living a normal life. I can't do that because I have to focus on my magic. And when I think of everything that I've seen…the magic, the incantations, the reincarnations, and all the battles…I just can't take it anymore. No one ever let me choose any of this! I was forced into this! I want to be in control of my destiny for once! I don't want any of this anymore! It's not worth it! Name one good thing that's happened to me since I found the Clow Book!"

Li stopped Sakura in her tracks. He turned her head so they could gaze into each other's eyes.

"Me."

Sakura was taken aback. "You…?"

"Sakura…think about it. If you had never opened the Clow Book…I would have never had to come to Japan. And I never would have met you. Have you ever thought about that? Without the Clow Book…there would be no us."

Sakura nearly turned white. "No…us?"

It was unbelievable. Sakura already had her mind made up for so many days. She knew what she wanted to wish for. And she was so sure that it would make her life better. It would make her life normal.

And in five minutes, the love of her life, Li Shoran, had brought something up that Sakura never thought of. Sakura had been blinded by the negatives of her life as the Sakura Card Mistress. She never thought that…without the Clow Book…she would have never found true love. But after everything her family and friends have had to endure…was it truly worth it? Sakura felt so conflicted. She didn't know what to do anymore.

Sakura didn't say anything. She fell into Li's arms, making her friends stop in their tracks. She was so confused now. But Sakura was sure of her next move.

"Everyone meet by the giant Penguin slide in an hour. I have to get the rest of the crystals."

  


~--------------------~

  


An hour later, everyone was right by the slide in Penguin Park. Everyone was a little nervous, knowing that the quest was almost over. But that wasn't the only reason, and Sakura realized that. She knew that everyone was on edge, because they didn't know if Sakura would still make that wish. And to be honest…Sakura didn't know herself anymore.

Sakura took the seven crystals she had and started to put them together. They all came together…in the shape of a diamond. There was only one piece missing and that was the end piece at the top. But once the eighth crystal was recovered, that would no longer be a problem. The eighth crystal would be placed with the others…and Sakura would make one fateful wish.

"We're going to get this over with," Sakura said, breaking the silence. "We'll spend the rest of the night if we have to…but this all has to end. We have to find the last crystal. Are you ready?"

Everyone nodded and got ready for what was sure to be the biggest test of their lives. Sailor Jupiter sighed deeply, not knowing what to expect. Eriol closed his eyes…knowing anything could happen between now and the time this was over. Suppi stayed on his shoulder and he prepared for what was sure to be an intense fight. Madison had even forgotten to recharge the battery on her camera. She didn't know what was going to happen. Kero stayed in Madison's pocket, knowing that when this all ended…it was likely that he would end up back in the Clow Book…maybe forever. And Li brandished his sword…getting ready for a fight.

It was then that everyone should have been on their way to search for the final crystal, the Earth Crystal. But they were cut off…by sinister laughter…that echoed throughout the park.

"Why waste your time searching for that last crystal? Why not save yourself the trouble…and give them to me!"

Everyone stopped at the sound of that voice. They started to come closer together while a figure in the shadows leaped out and revealed himself. It was a long white-haired man in a suit and he had a look on his face that could have intimidated the fiercest of warriors.

"Who are you?" Eriol demanded.

Jupiter gasped. "No! It can't be!"

The man grinned evilly. "I see you remember me, Sailor Jupiter. You haven't forgotten Malachite."

"But how?!" Jupiter exclaimed. "My friends and I killed you! There's no way!"

The warrior, Malachite, didn't answer…but rather waved his hands, creating a large dome above everyone's heads. Sakura looked up and saw the tremendous clear dome and tried to run out. But the dome was solid. There was no escape.

"You have no idea how much it irks me that you ultimately won the war," Malachite sneered. "It irritates me to see that Queen Beryl was right! You really DID end up defeating the Negaverse! That sickens me. But tell me, Sailor Jupiter…before I destroy you all…where are the rest of the Sailor Scouts?"

Jupiter sweatdropped. "On…vacation."

Malachite chuckled. "Tough luck. Not that it'll matter anyway. Because once I crush you…it'll be a simple matter of just picking the crystals up and subduing that final Crystal Beast myself." Malachite suddenly spotted Sakura. "And who are you supposed to be? An amateur?"

Sakura growled. She handed the seven crystals to Madison and summoned her wand. She held her wand bravely and glared at the evil Malachite. "I'm Sakura, Mistress of the Sakura Cards…and you'd better let us go!" There were times when Sakura could panic…but there were other times when Sakura could be really brave. This was one of those times. After coming so close, she wasn't about to be taken out of the picture by a creep in a suit.

"An amateur," Malachite repeated. "You cannot overcome my magic."

With those words, Malachite began moving his hands slowly. Sakura and her friends looked up to see that the dome was starting to shrink. Malachite was trying to crush them.

Sakura took Malachite's words as a challenge. "Yeah, we'll see! Windy!"

Windy came out and tried to escape the dome, but it was no good. Windy couldn't penetrate it and Sakura could only recall her.

"It's no good," Jupiter said. "The only way to get out is to attack Malachite directly."

"How do we do that?" Madison pointed out. "We're all stuck in here!"

Jupiter didn't know how to answer…but she instead asked another question. "How did you do it, Malachite? How did you survive? We beat you! We saw you die!"

Malachite shook his head as the dome began to shrink further. "You and the other Scouts thought yourselves to be so strong. You couldn't stay out of our affairs. You had to keep interfering against the Negaverse. Queen Beryl knew it would only be a matter of time before you all infiltrated the Negaverse…so she made the only move she could make. She sent me into the future to recover the eight crystals…and wish for the Negaverse to engulf all! And now…I shall finish the job. I'll crush you all, take the crystals, subdue the final Crystal Beast, and wish for the Negaverse to rule over all forever!"

Sakura gulped. This guy…came out of the past. And none of them saw it coming. And now it seemed like there was no way for any of them to escape.

Sakura desperately looked at her friends for support. Li held his sword, but couldn't do anything with it. Eriol looked around, trying to find an escape, but could find none. Madison held the crystals…and cringed, knowing what was about to happen. Kero and Suppi couldn't do anything either, for if they transformed into their true forms, they would take up a lot of space in the rapidly shrinking dome.

There seemed to be no escape.

  


~--------------------~

  


Julian was trying hard not to fall asleep while he sat on a chair in the hospital room. He didn't sleep often, but he had gone at least two nights without sleep. He had to keep an eye on Tori. He wanted to be there in case he woke up.

Of course, Julian wasn't the only one who was there. Nakuru was also there and she was concerned for Tori also. However…it also seemed as if Nakuru was trying to get some alone time with Tori.

"Aren't you hungry?" Nakuru asked sourly, obviously trying to push Julian out of the room.

"I'm not hungry," Julian said softly.

That almost surprised even Julian. He knew things were at their worst when HE couldn't eat.

"I'll let you know if he wakes up," Nakuru persisted.

"I can't leave Tori," Julian insisted.

Nakuru sighed. She wanted to be the first face Tori saw and for that to happen, she wanted Julian OUT.

Julian walked over to the window and looked outside. The night wasn't young anymore. But sunrise was still hours away. Julian would stay with Tori for however long it took, though. He would wait until he opened his eyes.

But he wouldn't wait much longer…because Julian started to sense something. He started to get that feeling again as he started to feel dizzy.

"It's happening, isn't it?" Nakuru guessed.

Julian didn't get a chance to answer…because soon there was no Julian. The wings came out and the transformation took place. There was only Yue.

"Why did you suddenly come out?" Nakuru asked.

"I sense the Mistress is in grave danger," Yue said. He looked over to the hospital bed. "I wish he would wake up…and I wish I didn't have to leave him."

"If Sakura's in trouble, then Tori would want you to leave," Nakuru pointed out.

Yue knew she had a point. He sensed that Sakura was in deep trouble and he sensed that even SHE wouldn't be able to escape. So he had to find her quickly.

"Watch over Tori," Yue instructed. "I hope this doesn't take long…but I have to save Sakura." He started muttering as he walked towards the window. "Clow wouldn't get himself in this much trouble."

Without saying anything more, Yue flew out the window…and followed his sense.

  


~--------------------~

  


It was an easy matter of following them, but Xander found himself hiding again. He saw that man again, the one who came through the portal. He revealed himself as a warrior of the past and he was trying to crush that Sakura girl and her friends. To be honest, Xander didn't care who collected the eight crystals. But he didn't want Sakura and her friends to go down like this…because stealing the eight crystals from this evil warrior would prove to be much more difficult.

Then Xander looked to the sky to see that someone was coming to the rescue. It was that same guardian whom he saw fighting the Wind Eagle. He was coming with great speed and seemed poised to fight this warrior.

The guardian called Yue was here…and he looked like he was ready to fight.

  


~--------------------~

  


Sakura finally saw that some help had arrived. It was their last hope and Sakura was glad he was here.

"It's Yue!" Kero piped up.

Malachite was caught by surprise. "Yue?"

He turned around and his face was met with the guardian's staff. Despite that crushing blow, Malachite maintained his position and the dome was still shrinking.

"Yue!" Jupiter cried out. "His hands! Hit his hands!"

Yue found that it was Malachite's hands that were controlling the dome, so he swiped up with his staff. Malachite's hands were thrown in the air and Sakura saw that the dome was starting to fade. Yue continued by throwing his ice crystal shards that sent Malachite falling back. The dome finally faded.

Sakura stepped forward…and so did Li, much to her surprise. It was a pleasant surprise. Sakura smiled his way. "Ready?"

Li nodded back. "Let's go!"

Sakura and Li rushed forward, leaving Eriol, Madison, Kero, and Suppi to keep an eye on the crystals. Sakura suddenly noticed someone was missing. Then she found that Sailor Jupiter had moved at the speed of lightning to confront her old enemy.

"Stand back…" Jupiter said. "He's mine!"

Malachite chuckled. "You wish to challenge me? It's your funeral."

Jupiter and Malachite faced off, while Sakura, Li, and Yue stood back. There wasn't anything Sakura could do…but watch.

  


~--------------------~

  


It was a long wait, but finally Wilson Fisk was ready to strike…along with his ally (as dimwitted as he may have been). But when The Kingpin followed those young people to the park, he didn't expect to find that other person. That person who was currently about to battle with the one called Jupiter. But that didn't matter to Fisk.

What mattered was that they were distracted. The only ones guarding the crystals…were that blue-haired boy, his girlfriend, and what looked to be two floating stuffed animals.

"Is stuffed animals supposed to float?" Fisk's partner asked ignorantly.

The Kingpin shook his head. "Well, I didn't bring you out here for your intelligence. But you know what to do. The ones with all the power are distracted. Now go get me those crystals!"

The Kingpin walked along behind his partner in crime and waited to reap the rewards of his persistence. Soon it would The Kingpin who would have the seven crystals and it would be HE who would hunt down the final Crystal Beast. And once Fisk put that crystal together with the other seven, then he would have his wish. He would take over the world!

But for now…it was up…to Rhino.

  


~--------------------~

  


Madison couldn't understand why Sakura, Li, and Yue weren't moving in. But she had a feeling that Sailor Jupiter wanted this cretin, Malachite, to herself. Meanwhile, it was Madison along with Eriol, Kero, and Suppi who were left to watch over the seven connected crystals.

"Youse two…give me dem crystals!"

Madison turned her head and gasped. She stepped back when she saw a hulking individual…in a rhino costume. He had a menacing look on his face and despite his initially comical appearance, he looked like he meant business.

"I said give me dem crystals!"

Eriol stepped forward and was ready to defend Madison, but two others stepped forward, too. Kero and Suppi had taken their positions and began to change into their true forms. The rhino man was now backtracking when he saw that he was facing off with Keroberos and Spinel Sun.

"What were you saying?" Keroberos growled.

The rhino man obviously wasn't very bright, because he started to charge. Keroberos ducked his head down and lifted the oncoming man into the air. The rhino man was knocked into a nearby tree. He staggered on his way up and when he got up, he met with the guardian beasts again.

The rhino man tried again. He started to charge Keroberos and Spinel Sun again. But this time, the two guardians had something in store for this guy. They sandwiched him…and picked him up into the air. The guardians were almost out of sight.

By this time, Madison started to keep her distance, as did Eriol. But she soon found out that wasn't such a good idea.

"I knew that imbecile would serve as a perfect diversion," a gruff voice said.

Madison turned around and saw a bigger man. He looked to be a huge rotund individual in a trench coat and white suit. He had to be a massive three hundred plus pounds.

"I've been watching you," the man said. "And I've stood by and let you take the first seven crystals. But now it is time you hand them over."

"Who are you?" Eriol demanded.

"Who I am is none of your concern," he responded. "But did you think I'd really give up even after you managed to somehow beat Doctor Octopus?"

"Doctor Octopus?" Madison repeated. Then she gasped. "YOU sent him after me!"

"It's good to see you can at least put two and two together," the man chuckled. "But playtime is over. Give me those crystals!"

Eriol stood in front of Madison and started to warm up a fireball. He wasn't about to let anybody take the crystals or let anyone hurt Madison. But before he could throw anything, both Eriol and Madison were in the clutches of this enormous man. He was squeezing the life out of both of them with a tremendous bear hug. Madison could almost feel her ribs cracking.

"Make this easier on yourselves!" the man grunted. "Give me the crystals!"

Madison felt as if she was about to suffocate, but she wouldn't give up. No matter what happened…she wasn't about to give up the seven crystals.

  


~--------------------~

  


Sakura, Li, and Yue stood watching the beginning of the fight between Jupiter and Malachite. They were both exchanging blasts and blows and neither of them wanted to interject in what Jupiter said was HER fight. But they weren't distracted for long.

"S…S…SAKURA!!"

Sakura gasped upon hearing the agonized voice of her best friend. Sakura turned around to see a huge man who had Eriol and Madison in his clutches. He was squeezing them within an inch of their lives.

Without waiting for Li or Yue, Sakura ran up to the big man. But before she could strike, Sakura saw Eriol striking a blow of his own. He tossed a fireball towards the ground and gave the big guy a hotfoot that loosened his grip. Eriol and Madison fell to the ground and gasped for air while Sakura ran over to do the rest.

"What do you want?!" Sakura demanded, as though she needed to ask.

"I want the crystals!" the man shouted. "Give them to me!"

"You're not getting them without a fight!" Sakura declared boldly.

The man started to advance towards her, but Li made the first move. "Now, element: Wind!"

Li's wind spell held the big guy in place, while Sakura quickly reached in for her best card. "Erase Card! Release and dispel!"

Erase came out and started to work magic on the rotund man. Before he could react, he found himself unconscious. Sakura wasn't sure what to think of what just happened. But it looked like once again, she came within inches of losing the crystals.

"Who was that?" Li asked.

"Same guy who sent the octopus man after you," Eriol answered. "But I don't think he's with that other creep over there."

Sakura looked around. "Where are Kero and Suppi?"

"We're over here!" Suppi called out.

Suppi and Kero, in their false forms, were floating up right behind Eriol. It looked like they had just finished up with something…or someone.

"Where's that other guy?" Madison asked.

Suppi smirked. "We dealt with him."

Just then, everyone heard a gruff voice. "HEY! Get me outta here! I'm gonna get youse for this!"

Sakura peered over to see a man in a rhino costume was buried in the dirt with only his head above ground. She absolutely had no idea what to make of it and she wasn't about to ask. Because she realized she had more pressing matters.

"We have to help Jupiter!"

Sakura ran back to where Sailor Jupiter and Malachite were still battling. Sailor Jupiter had tried to strike with her lightning spell, but Malachite was easily dodging the attacks. Malachite then unleashed a series of boomerangs that hit Jupiter directly. The boomerangs were powerful and they left Jupiter cut around her face and with a deep wound in her arm.

"No!" Sakura shouted.

Eriol shook his head. "She can't survive this. We have to do something!"

"Sakura…there is one thing we can do!" Li suddenly suggested. "If he's from the past…?"

Sakura knew exactly what Li was trying to say. "That's it!"

Sakura took out the one card that would save the day and she slowly approached Malachite. The evil one didn't see her coming as he was getting overconfident.

"Nothing," he muttered to Jupiter. "You are nothing! I don't know how your friends beat the Negaverse, because it's obvious you don't have the power to beat me. You are weak!"

Jupiter saw Sakura coming…and smirked. "You're wrong, Malachite. It's not because I'm weak. It's because we beat you…as a team. Just like now…you'll be beaten…by a team."

Malachite could see through the subtlety and turned around. But by that time it was too late. Sakura was ready to release…

"Return Card! I order you to send Malachite back where he belongs! Return Card! Release and dispel!"

A black hole opened up behind Malachite, much to his shock. The portal began to suck him in and there was nothing he could do about it.

"NO! I won't…be…beaten!"

Malachite tried everything in his power to fight it, but by this time…Sailor Jupiter got to her feet. And she reached over to deliver the final blow. And what a blow it was.

The ground started to rise…and one of the fragments of the ground flew up into the air and collided with Malachite, sending him back into the black hole.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"

Malachite fell back and the black hole closed. The Return Card had done its job and sent the evil Malachite back into the past…where hopefully he would remain.

Sakura was in awe. "Wow…that was amazing, Jupiter."

Jupiter blinked. "Um…that…wasn't…me."

Sakura gulped. "Uh…Li?"

Li shook his head. "No…wasn't me."

Sakura looked back. "Eriol?"

Eriol took a step back. "Wasn't me, either."

"Then who…?"

****ROAR****

Sakura and her friends almost jumped at the fierce roar. They all turned around…and found out what had thrown that rock. Sakura nearly turned white…at the sight of what had to be the next and final Crystal Beast.

Sakura gulped. "Um…that's…that's…"

Eriol finished for her. "That's…the Earth Gargoyle!"

  


Next Time: It's the final Crystal Beast and WHAT A BEAST! Sakura and her friends all take on the Earth Gargoyle with the final crystal on the line. Can they beat it? And if that happens…then what? They don't know that a certain alien's waiting in the shadows.

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below.


	15. The Final Fight

Last Time: Sakura and her friends faced a fight on just about every front. The evil Malachite went at it with Sailor Jupiter while Sakura unexpectedly fought off The Kingpin. Keroberos and Spinel Sun successfully thwarted off the diversion known as Rhino. After using Erase on The Kingpin, Sakura used the Return Card to try and send Malachite back into the past. But Malachite wouldn't go in and it took a big rock to send him sailing back into the past. But when Sakura realized that the rock hadn't come from any of her friends…she turned around to find the final Crystal Beast: the Earth Gargoyle.

  


**Hunt For the Crystals: Episode 14**

  


Sakura wanted this all to be over. In the last 24 hours she encountered a fearsome Water Turtle, the fierce Fire Dragon, an enemy from Sailor Jupiter's past, and two other fiends from who-knows-where. Sakura wanted to call it a night, but it wasn't over yet. Now Sakura was face-to-face with the final Crystal Beast.

The Earth Gargoyle stood immense in size. It stood eight feet tall with yellow skin and wings that flapped loudly. It let out an earth-shattering roar that nearly knocked everyone back…and shook the ground.

Sakura was shaking at first. She looked back at her friends and saw that they weren't too confident, either. But Sakura grew more and more determined each time she saw the intimidating Earth Gargoyle. She wasn't about to lose now. She had come so close. She had come so far. She wasn't going to give up now.

"I don't care how big you are!" Sakura said boldly. "But I'm going to beat you!"

The Earth Gargoyle didn't take that too well. It raised its hands and Sakura saw the ground around her begin to shake. Sakura and her friends bunched together in a circle as the ground continued to shake. The ground directly below Sakura and her friends began to rise. Now the plot of land they were standing on was in the air and Sakura couldn't bring herself down.

Sailor Jupiter tried to attack, but the wound on her arm left her in too much pain. Sakura gently laid her friend down. "You're hurt! Just try and rest! I'll take that thing out!" Sakura looked up at someone who could help her. "Yue! Ready?"

Yue nodded. "We'll take that Gargoyle together."

Yue lifted Sakura from behind by her waist and then he started to swoop down. They both landed in front of the Gargoyle and it immediately went on the offensive.

The Gargoyle psychically lifted a huge stone and began to mentally throw it at Sakura, but Yue stood in front of her and fended off the attack with his shield barrier. Sakura needed a solid plan of action, but she didn't know what to do. She went with her first move.

"Sleep Card! Release and dispel!"

The Sleep Card came out and started to rush towards the Gargoyle. Sakura knew that no matter how big it was, it couldn't stand up to Sleep. But the Gargoyle tried to do the next best thing. It tried to avoid sleep altogether. The Gargoyle flew up and began to use its powers to lift the ground up in a huge avalanche and it fell over Sleep. Sleep was taken by surprise and taken down. Sakura gasped and quickly recalled her. That plan failed horribly.

Sakura needed to think of another card, but in the meantime, other allies tried to help her out. A flame shot out of nowhere, narrowly missing the Earth Gargoyle by mere inches. Sakura looked up to see Keroberos in his true form, much to her surprise. It looked like Kero was going to help her one last time. That move managed to get the Gargoyle focusing on the plot of land that was floating in the air. It was looking at Eriol, Madison, Li, and Jupiter; who were all standing behind Keroberos. But someone else was missing.

Spinel Sun was out in his true form as well and he was sneaking up behind the Gargoyle. He tried to let out his beam, but the Gargoyle flew down and lifted a series of rocks. The rocks started coming towards the Earth Gargoyle's hand and they all came together to make a huge rock fist. The Gargoyle flew up quickly and the rock fist came crashing down onto the head of Spinel Sun, knocking the guardian down to the ground.

"Sakura!" Li shouted from above. "You have to do something!"

Sakura wanted something that would be able to counter the irresistible force that was the Earth Gargoyle. And she had to think quickly, because it was looking up at Keroberos. The Guardian Beast of the Seal tried firing away, but the Gargoyle was too quick and was still coming closer. Finally, the Gargoyle tried to swing, but Keroberos was defending himself with his own shield barrier. The Gargoyle frustratingly tried smashing away at the barrier. That bought Sakura a little more time.

Finally, it hit her. "Storm Card! Release and dispel!"

Keroberos moved back as Storm began to release in a tremendous storm cloud tornado. The storm cloud engulfed the surprised Earth Gargoyle. The Gargoyle was stuck in the storm cloud. And that gave the opportunity for the rest of Sakura's friends.

Sailor Jupiter weakly lifted her arms and looked over at Li. "Together…"

Li nodded back. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! Lightning!"

"Jupiter…Thunder…Dragon!"

Both lightning spells were unleashed at the same time and they went right into the storm cloud, nailing the Earth Gargoyle. Keroberos unleashed a powerful flame that went into the storm cloud, engulfing the Gargoyle. Sakura finally recalled Storm…and found the Earth Gargoyle was completely out. It fell to the ground and crashed.

Sakura walked up to the Earth Gargoyle…and recited those fateful words.

"Return to thy form which thou should be…Earth Crystal!"

  


~--------------------~

  


From inside the bush, Xander saw that it was just about over. The girl, Sakura, was sealing the final crystal. Now she had all eight. Once the final Crystal Beast was back in its crystal form, Xander heard screaming. He looked up to see that a floating plot of land had nothing to float on anymore and came crashing to the ground. But more importantly…

Sakura's friend dropped her camera…and…

…THE CRYSTALS!

The group of friends fell and piled on top of each other…while the crystals…bounced…towards…the bush…Xander was standing behind.

Xander gasped. It couldn't possibly be THIS easy. Stumbling and not knowing what to do next, Xander reached for his communicator. "Shuma…the crystals…they're right in front of me!"

_"Then get them! And wait right there! We're homing in on your location. The ship will be there in moments."_

The communication feed cut off. His leader would soon be there for him. All Xander had to do…was reach out…and take the crystals. So he extended his hand out and had the crystals in his hand…unfortunately…

…there was another hand on them, as well.

Xander looked up…to the face of the mighty Earth heroine, Sakura.

  


~--------------------~

  


After the encounter with the enormous Earth Gargoyle, Sakura didn't know what else could possibly happen. But now something else DID happen. Sakura looked down…to see the face of a guy about her age. And he was reaching for the crystals…and had them in his hand. They both had a grip on the crystals.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked.

The guy stammered. "Uh…um…uh…crystals…I need them."

"Sounds like yet another one who wants the crystals," Eriol said.

Sakura tried to take the crystals, but this guy wasn't letting go. He had a death grip on those crystals and it looked like he wasn't going to let go for anything. He was almost desperate.

"NO! Let go! I…need…these…crystals! LET GO!"

It was unbelievable. After all the fights and all the struggles Sakura had to endure, now it was down to a tug-o-war with the seven attached crystals. But Sakura wasn't planning to lose. The guy tried to kick Sakura away, but she wasn't going away easily. Sakura reached over and tried to push his head away. But when she pulled her hand back…she heard a tear.

Sakura fell back from the sudden surprise. She looked at her hand…to see a piece of the guy's face. It was a disguise. Sakura gasped when she looked in front of her to see…a green face. It was all a disguise. This guy was an alien; a humanoid with green skin.

The alien looked ecstatic…until he saw there were only seven crystals. "The eighth one…where is it?!"

Sakura held up the final crystal; the yellow Earth Crystal. She wasn't about to give that one up. "Who are you? Tell me!"

The guy didn't know what to say, but he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere. "I need that crystal…my people depend on it!"

That made Sakura curious. "Your…people?"

The alien nodded. "My name is Xander. I come from a world far away…or at least I used to. My people have been traveling for many years in search of a new world to inhabit, but we have been able to find none. Then…one day my leader learned of the legend of the eight crystals. He sent me out to the planet Earth with a human disguise to find them.

"But the task proved to be much more difficult than I anticipated. I saw others trying to hunt the crystals. I saw a man with four tentacles and his burly leader. I saw a group of four mutants with unusual abilities. I saw a warrior come out of the past. And then…I saw all of you. I have no powers. So I figured I could…wait and steal the crystals.

"I want the crystals…so I can wish for a new world for our people. However…my leader has asked that I hand the crystals to him, so he can wish for it. So…will you give me the crystals?"

Sakura started to feel something in the pit of her stomach. She went completely unaware of any of this. This alien was reaching out to her…pleading for a way to help his people. But how did Sakura know any of this was true? He could have easily been lying.

But just then…a huge noise could be heard from the sky.

"What is that?" Madison asked.

"My leader!" Xander announced. "He's here!"

Sakura looked to the sky and saw that a small spaceship was slowly descending to the ground. The extraterrestrial craft landed…and out of it came…an old deteriorated humanoid wearing a white robe. He was a short elder…who was walking with the aid of a staff.

"Shuma," Xander exclaimed. "The crystals…they're…well…they're…" He turned to Sakura, who was holding the crystals in her hand.

Something inside Sakura told her she should have held on to the crystals, but she honestly didn't know anymore. She saw this old alien…and she didn't know what to do. She felt pity. She felt like giving him the crystals…but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Please…" the elder, Shuma, pleaded. "The crystals."

Sakura finally made her decision. She brought up the crystals…and was about to hand it to the elderly alien. But just as she was about to hand them to him…she started to sense something…wrong. She looked up and saw what looked to be an evil smirk widening. Sakura suddenly acted fast.

"Wait!" Sakura shouted, pulling the crystals back. She pulled out one of her cards. "Libra* Card! Release!"

The Libra Card suddenly came out in a pink light…but the pink light quickly faded…and changed into a grim black light. Sakura didn't use the Libra Card very often and it wasn't until many years later that she figured out how to use it. But she knew what that black light meant.

"You're lying!" Sakura spat angrily. "You're using the crystals for something else, aren't you?!"

The old Shuma glowered and reached into his robe…to pull out a blaster. "So you've seen through me. Now that there are no more lies, you will give me the crystals!"

"Lying?" Xander asked confusedly. "What does she mean, Shuma? I thought you were using the crystals to wish a new home for us…for our people."

"Fool!" Shuma sneered. "I couldn't care less about the rest of the population. Don't you see? With those eight crystals, I can have total control of the universe! Who cares about finding the insignificant population a new planet? I shall have them all. The universe shall be MINE!" Then Shuma turned back to face Sakura. "Now…the crystals."

"What if I don't give them to you?" Sakura said boldly.

As Sakura said that, she saw Li trying to sneak up behind this evil alien. But Shuma saw him coming. He lifted his hand…and created a huge dome, covering only himself and Sakura.

"I see you are not willing to compromise," Shuma growled. "So I have a proposal. One-on-one. You and me. Last one standing gets the crystals. Do you accept your fate?"

Sakura looked outside the dome. Li was desperately trying to bust in, but it was no use. Yue and Jupiter were trying from the other side and were also getting nowhere. Kero and Suppi were flying behind Eriol and Madison and were saving their energy. They knew that trying to break into the impenetrable dome was a futile gesture.

It was down to a face-to-face confrontation. There was one fight…for the crystals. But Sakura realized one thing. She didn't have to go through with this. Sakura tried to put that eighth crystal together, but an accurately placed laser blast knocked the crystals out of Sakura's hands and left her left hand singed. Sakura yelled in pain, feeling like her entire arm had been fried.

"No cheating!" Shuma sneered. "We fight for the crystals! Last one standing gets them!"

Sakura wasn't backing down. She remembered the words that Kero told her. She was the world's most powerful sorceress. This guy didn't know who he was dealing with. Sakura reached up to release another card, but another blaster shot knocked her wand out of her hand…and out of reach.

"Do not look so shocked," Shuma smirked. "Despite my old age, I am still the most accurate shooter in my entire planet. You have no chance."

Sakura didn't want to believe that. So she rolled out of the way. Shuma tried to shoot towards the ground, but Sakura jumped into the air. The old alien didn't think that Sakura was so athletic. Sakura quickly picked up her wand while the blaster recharged and made herself even more elusive.

"Jump!"

Sakura avoided blaster shots while bouncing high into the air with the aid of the Jump Card. But it wasn't without pain. Sakura found her head smashing up against the top of the dome. Then Sakura got another idea.

"Mirror! Release!"

Sakura used Mirror in her mirror form. Sakura held it up and stopped jumping. The next blaster shot that was fired bounced off the mirror…then bounced off the top of the dome…and nailed the old Shuma on the arm, making him drop his blaster. He was stunned and that gave Sakura enough time to end this.

"Freeze Card! Release and dispel!"

The Freeze Card came out…and began to engulf Shuma. In a matter of moments, the old alien was nothing more than a block of ice. The fight was over. Sakura had won…and the dome disappeared.

Usually during moments like this, Sakura's friends would run over and congratulate her. Everyone would rejoice and everyone would go home. But not this time. Sakura's friends all stayed where they were…because they knew very well what could be coming.

Sakura saw Sailor Jupiter hang her head down…silently asking herself if it was truly over. She saw Xander crouched down on the ground, looking hopelessly to the sky. She saw her best friend, Madison, hugging Eriol tight. Their relationship may very well be over. She saw Suppi shaking his head…and Kero looking at her despondently. And she saw Yue, the guardian under the moon, looking emotionlessly at his mistress…but inside, he was wondering if she would remain his mistress.

Sakura slowly reached over for the seven attached crystals…and the lone Earth Crystal. All that remained…was to put them together…and make that one wish. But as Sakura picked them up…she looked up…to see Li.

"You're right about one thing," he said somberly. "For the first time in your life, your destiny is in your hands. So now that it is…will you do the right thing?"

Those words hit Sakura hard. But what hit her harder was that Li turned his back. He was seemingly trying to hide the tears in his eyes. Sakura started to weigh everything in her head.

This was just the opportunity she wanted. After all the pain she had endured since she was ten, this was truly it. This was her chance to start over. This was her chance to grow up as a normal girl. This was her chance to grow up without every having to worry about strange magic and being responsible for the fate of the world.

But she also thought about everything she could lose. Kero…he would be gone from Sakura's life forever. He would never be in her room playing video games or making puppy dog eyes in a desperate plea for pudding. He would never be there to hear her out whenever she needed help.

She thought of Madison. Their friendship was the strongest it could have been, but it never would have gotten to this point…without the Clow Cards. The Clow Cards had seemingly brought them closer together. But more than that…Sakura thought of Eriol. If she had never found the Clow Book, Madison would have never met Eriol…and their relationship would never be.

And Sakura thought of her own relationship. She loved Li more than anything. But if she never found the Clow Book…he would have never come into her life. Was a normal life really worth losing the man she loved? Was it worth losing the man who would be there for her through thick and thin for the rest of her life?

Sakura finally made her decision…

She attached the final crystal…

And made her wish.

  


~--------------------~

  


Xander opened his eyes after that flash of light. He looked around…and saw that he wasn't on the Earth anymore. He was…back in his spaceship.

"What happened?" Xander asked. "Where am I?"

Xander looked around to see that most of the population was out in the lower deck, but he was lying down by the stairs. But someone picked him up. It was one of the other members of the population.

"You're back here," he said. "It's weird…you just suddenly appeared here…out of nowhere."

"Where's Shuma?" Xander demanded.

"That was also unusual," the other guy said. "Shuma was sighted earlier…but he was frozen solid. It's the weirdest thing. Especially since I thought he went down to where you were. Xander, what happened?"

Xander couldn't get another word out…because there was a sudden shout below.

"LAND!! We've found a planet!!"

Xander looked out the window…and saw that there was a planet out there…and it looked to be uninhabited. Suddenly, it all hit him. The crystals…the wish…the girl wished…for a home…for Xander and his people.

"Thank you…Sakura…"

  


Next Time: We see the aftermath in a special epilogue. What happens to Sakura, her friends, and the villains after this is all over? Come back tomorrow for the epilogue, because you won't want to miss it!

  


Any comments? Then go ahead and mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	16. The Aftermath

Last Time: It all ended. Sakura recovered the final crystal, defeated an evil alien, and made her one wish. The one wish surrounded Xander…who suddenly, along with his people, found a new home. So what happened to everyone else? Let's find out.

  


**Hunt For the Crystals: Epilogue**

  


**What happened to: Lita?**

  


Once everything was done, there was no other reason for Lita to stay with Sakura. But it was funny, because Lita…didn't want to leave. She and Sakura really got close during this whole ordeal and they became good friends.

Sakura felt the same way and left Lita her home and cell phone number, so they could always keep in touch. Lita even offered to introduce Sakura to her friends…whenever they came back…which was due to be…in a few hours.

Realizing that her friends WERE coming back, Lita went back to the temple and tried to finish cleaning it up. She never noticed how much dust an old temple could gather in so little time. Then Lita remembered that it WASN'T in such little time.

_"Do you think they'll come in without calling?"_

That was Sakura. That's right. Lita wasted no time in calling her friend once she got back to the temple.

"Knowing my friends, they probably will. First, Serena will want to stop and get something to eat. Rei will probably drool over some guy…"

_"I thought YOU were the one who drooled over guys."_

Lita sweatdropped. "Well…Rei can drool, too. Hey, somebody has to do it while I'm not around. Anyway, after they eat, they'll realize what time it is and they'll come back here before everyone goes back home."

_"You really seem to know your friends."_

"Hey, isn't that the way it is with you and Madison?"

_"Well…that's true."_

"Hey, Sakura? Can I ask you something?"

_"Sure…what is it?"_

"I thought you were really going to make that wish. You really seemed so sure about it. What…made you change your mind?"

_"Well…to be honest…"_

Suddenly, Jupiter sweatdropped again. "Um…I'm sorry, Sakura. Can you call me back and tell me later. My friends are back."

_"Ok, Lita. I'll call you in a few hours. Bye."_

Lita hung up as soon as she saw her four friends coming towards the temple. She looked around one more time to make sure that the temple was as spotless as she hoped it was. And Lita did just fine. The temple was a perfect picture of cleanliness.

Serena, Amy, Rei, and Mina all suddenly spied their partner in crime and quickly ran up to greet her.

"Lita! We missed you!" Mina squealed.

"It wasn't the same without you, Lita!" Amy added.

"But you should have seen it!" Rei continued. "The United States is so big…and amazing. And…there were guys around every corner. Probably the type to…you know…"

"Remind me of my ex-boyfriend," Lita grinned…before it faded. "That jerk."

Rei then walked over to Serena and smirked. "Of course, we couldn't get Serena to take advantage. All she could think about was Darien."

"Rei!" Serena whined. "I was NOT thinking of Darien the whole time!"

"Of course not," Rei persisted. "Whenever you weren't thinking of your boyfriend, you were thinking of your stomach."

"Now that I think of it, I AM kinda hungry."

"We just had a hamburger!" Mina pointed out.

Amy sweatdropped and tried to change the subject. "I just wish you could have been there, Lita. Have you been at the temple this whole time?"

Lita…hesitated. "Not…exactly."

"Really?" Serena asked. "You've been keeping yourself busy?"

Lita hesitated again. "You…might say that."

"So what have you been doing?" Rei asked.

Lita sighed. "Well…you might want to sit down for this one. It's a LONG story…and you probably won't believe it."

Lita's four friends exchanged glances before finally sitting down on the clean ground and getting ready to hear the story.

"We're listening," Serena said.

Lita didn't know how to begin. "Well…it all started a little more than a week ago…when I was cleaning the temple…"

  


~--------------------~

  


**What happened to: The Brotherhood?**

  


School was going as it usually was…except for one thing. Toad and his friends had missed a week and were up to their ears in homework. The Brotherhood were primed and ready to go after all of the losers from the Xavier Institute after what they tried to do to them. But Pietro thought it would be best for them to bide their time.

But it's not like they got the chance, anyway. After first period, Toad got a note to be in Principal Darkholme's office. So as soon as he got the note, he bounced over to the principal's office…where he found his three friends were also waiting.

"Hey, guys!" Toad bounced up and clung to the wall. "So…uh…what do you think we're in for this time?"

None of the other three answered, because the office door suddenly opened. And standing there…was Principal Darkholme.

"You four…in my office…NOW!!"

There was a tone of fury in the principal's voice. Whether she was in her disguise of Principal Darkholme, or in her true form as Mystique, this woman could get VERY angry. And Toad started to wonder how they got on her bad side this time.

Toad immediately started to panic. "Uh, Principal Darkholme…that slime on your car…I swear it wasn't me."

Principal Darkholme raised an eyebrow, signifying that Toad should have just kept his mouth shut. There was another reason she called them in here. And it could have been for just about anything.

"We sent you four on one simple mission," Principal Darkholme began. "Go out to Japan and retrieve eight crystals. A simple task. A task made exponentially easier by the fact that Xavier's students wouldn't stand in your way. So why wasn't I surprised when I found out that you four came back to Bayville empty-handed?"

The four Brotherhood members exchanged glances, not knowing what to make of this. The Blob was scratching his head. Avalanche just shrugged. Quicksilver did the same. Toad only blinked.

"Uh…crystals?" Pietro finally asked. "What crystals?"

Principal Darkholme slapped her forehead in frustration. "The crystals. The crystals! You were supposed to retrieve the eight crystals and bring them back to Magneto. What happened?"

"Um…I didn't know about no eight crystals," Toad blurted out.

"I thought we were dumped in Japan by Xavier's losers," Lance added.

Pietro nodded. "Yeah! We got beat by Xavier's punks, left in Japan, and Xavier tried to wipe our minds clean. Seems like it worked, too, because I know I can't remember why I even went to Japan in the first place."

"Yeah, I don't remember hearing nothing about eight crystals," The Blob finished.

Principal Darkholme groaned. "Well…I must say you four have gotten creative. Of all the excuses I've heard, that's one of the more original ones. But if you expect me to believe that, then you're insulting my intelligence. There's no getting passed the fact that you four FAILED. You can all think about that while you sit in detention after school. And if that's the worst thing that happens to you today, consider yourselves lucky. Magneto says he wants to deal with this issue personally, so let's just say I don't envy the four of you."

Everyone let out a nervous gulp. They knew they were telling the truth. So why were they in such hot water? Was there something they didn't know? They thought about that as they left.

"Oh, and as for you, Mr. Tolansky…make it A WEEK in detention! Maybe next time you'll think before sliming my car!"

Toad moaned. He could have gotten away with that innocent little prank, but he had to open his yap. Maybe he could think of better ways to have some fun while he was in detention.

  


~--------------------~

  


**What happened to: The Kingpin?**

  


Wilson Fisk examined the newspaper. There were various strange sightings including what some witnesses said was a gargoyle. Like the rest of the media, Fisk dismissed these witnesses as nuts.

The Kingpin couldn't remember why he was in Japan. He knew something brought him out here. Maybe it was to get away from the constant pressure of Spiderman. But he couldn't put his finger on it. All he knew, though, was that he spent too much time there. It was time to go back to New York and tend to his 'business' there.

But before Fisk could board his jet, someone came running up to him.

"Hey, boss! Wait up!"

Fisk turned around to see an unexpected visitor. It was Rhino.

"So we's finished, boss?" Rhino asked.

Fisk raised an eyebrow. "I don't even recall sending for you. What are you doing here, Rhino?"

Rhino scratched his head. "Uh…we was supposed to go looking for crystals. But then we saw some weirdo with a suit fightin wit a schoolgirl. Then I went to get dem crystals and I started fightin wit some stuffed animals. Only they wasn't stuffed, they got really big. And then they threw me around and left me buried in the dirt like I was some flower. And I just got out now."

The Kingpin almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. These were the ramblings of a lunatic. For anyone else, it would have made absolutely no sense. Then Fisk remembered…this was Rhino.

"I knew you were always one straw short of a basket, Rhino. But even for you…this sounds preposterous. I have no time to hear of your nonsense. If you want a lift back to New York, then I suggest you get into the jet immediately."

Rhino scratched his head. "You know…come to think of it…it DOES sound pretty weird. I musta been dreamin or somethin."

With an absent-minded look on his face, the brutish thug in the rhino costume made his way into the jet. Wilson Fisk had to admit one thing, though. The delusion entertained him briefly. Giant stuffed animals. How amusing.

But still…The Kingpin wondered one thing. How did he get to Japan…and why did he go in the first place?

  


~--------------------~

  


**What happened to: Malachite?**

  


Malachite finally stumbled back into familiar territory. One moment he was in the future, fighting for the eight crystals that were to ensure victory for the Negaverse. The next, he was sent back to his own time by a magic spell used by that girl known as Sakura.

Malachite looked up and saw a very disappointed Queen Beryl. She was still recovering from all the energy she had used to send Malachite into the future, so if there was any good that would come of this…it was that she couldn't possibly punish him.

"I trust you have the crystals?" Queen Beryl sneered.

Malachite dusted himself off. "I'm afraid I do not. Even in the future, the Sailor Scouts know just when to interfere. But it wasn't just them. There was someone else…"

"SILENCE! Those crystals were our last hope and you failed! I should…"

Silence.

There was a sudden shaking…and a sudden stop. There was loud, blaring alarm sounding. The look on Queen Beryl's face was indescribable. It was a look of total horror.

"It's happening," she said grimly.

"What is?" Malachite asked.

"They're coming," Queen Beryl answered. "The Sailor Scouts are trying to infiltrate the Negaverse! They're coming after us!"

At no point since this whole thing began did Malachite think the Sailor Scouts had the courage or the brass to break into the Negaverse themselves. But it looked like they dared. Now it looked like the final fight was coming. And Malachite would give them a fight they would never forget.

"I shall amend my failure, Queen Beryl," Malachite said. "I shall intercept the Sailor Scouts…and destroy them myself!"

"Do not fail this time, Malachite!" Queen Beryl shrieked. "Do not let them through!"

Malachite nodded affirmatively. "If they want to face you…they'll have to kill me first."

And with those words…Malachite left…to his next mission: Stop the Sailor Scouts from advancing any further.

(A/N: If you saw the end of SM's first season…you know how THIS ends.)

  


~--------------------~

  


**What happened to: Madison and Eriol?**

  


It had been a full day since the whole quest for the crystals had ended. Madison hadn't talked to Sakura since then, but she knew she should soon. All Madison did since it all ended was look over old tapes of Sakura during her days as a Cardcaptor. She looked so beautiful and so amazing. She was so brave and Madison was always there to catch her courage on tape.

"Why would she want to wish all this away?" she asked herself.

For Madison, it didn't make any sense. This was all so…cool. Being the best friend of a Cardcaptor was so exciting and the only thing that could be more thrilling…was actually BEING a Cardcaptor. Why did Sakura want all that to be erased? Why did she want to start over?

"Maybe the pressure's finally gotten to her."

Madison looked out the window to see Eriol hanging on a tree branch. It was a little habit he picked up from his 'dear descendant'. Madison opened the window and let Eriol into her room. It was at that moment that she was glad her mother was still away on business.

"What do you mean?" Madison asked. "I know this isn't easy…but I thought Sakura could handle it. She's so much stronger than anyone I've ever known."

"Maybe it's a combination of everything," Eriol tried explaining. "Sakura's had to endure a lot. She's had to go through sealing 52 Clow Cards, convert them all to Sakura Cards, fight me one-on- one…which is NEVER easy. Then add to that everything else she's had to do. She's had to seal the other books, she's had to master use of the Sakura Cards, and have you forgotten the months on end she spent trying to master the use of the Libra Card?"

Madison's eyes dotted. She remembered that story ALL TOO WELL. There were so many things that happened the day Sakura mastered the Libra Card. It was a special experience that Sakura and Madison experienced…together.

"I remember," was all Madison could bring herself to say about THAT moment.

"Then think about all she went through in the last few months," Eriol continued. "How many other people can say they've been stuck in a cursed pyramid? And how many other people can claim to have to use their magic to find eight legendary crystals before they fall into the wrong hands? That's the kind of weight Sakura had on her shoulders.

"And…I think when she saw what other people her age are doing…having normal lives…I think it drove Sakura over the edge. I think all she wants…is to have what other people have. She wants to have a life that's…normal."

Madison hung her head down. "I only wish she could see…that she has it BETTER than normal people. Her life isn't THAT different. She still has friends and she still does a lot of things like other girls. The only difference is…she has magical powers. I wish Sakura would see that as a blessing…and not as a curse.

"But…there's another reason…that I'm glad Sakura didn't make that wish. Eriol…I'm starting to think I've taken our relationship for granted. You don't know how much you mean to me. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you in my life. I'm happy…that you still are."

"I feel the same way," Eriol smiled. He reached over for a kiss…but Madison stopped him.

"I don't know…in here?"

"What's it going to hurt?" Eriol asked, smirking his evil smile.

"What if one of the bodyguards come in?" Madison pointed out. "They could break you in half."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," Eriol grinned.

Madison shrugged. "Ok. If that's the way you feel."

Eriol leaned over and gave Madison a kiss…but as fate would have it…

"Madison! I'm home!"

…a call came from downstairs.

Eriol nearly turned white at the sound of Madison's mother. "Well…I'll call you!"

Without hesitation, Eriol jumped out the window, hoping to skillfully grab the tree branch on the way. Unfortunately…

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"

…he missed…and fell to the ground.

Madison couldn't resist. She looked out the window…giggled…and took a picture.

  


~--------------------~

  


**What happened to: Julian, Nakuru, and…Tori?**

  


Nakuru still waited patiently by Tori's bedside. Things didn't look to be getting any better. Yue had been gone for a while and she almost hoped he'd come back. But in a way…she was glad he was gone. Because that left her alone with Tori.

"Tori…I hope you can hear me," Nakuru pleaded. "That was really brave of you to do what you did back there. That was so brave of you to sacrifice yourself. But you didn't have to do it. Now look what's happened! Do you think it's easy for me to see you like this? And I don't think Julian's too happy about it, either. We just want you to be ok. We care about you. *I* care about you!

"Please wake up, Tori."

With that emotional speech out of the way, Nakuru just waited…and waited…and waited. Finally…about ten minutes later…

…Tori started to come to.

Tori opened his eyes. "Nakuru?"

Nakuru wiped a tear from her eye. "You have no idea how much you worried me. I'm so glad you're ok!"

Nakuru reached over for a hug…but at that moment…

"Tori! You're all right!"

Of all the times for Julian to come back, it HAD to be now. He came back in and rushed to Tori's bedside.

"I'm glad you're all right," Julian said cheerfully, embracing his best friend.

"I must have taken a big hit," Tori said. "How long was I out?"

"Almost a week," Julian answered.

Another thought ran through Tori's mind. "Sakura…is she ok?"

Nakuru nodded. "Sakura's just fine. She was just a little shaken up seeing her big brother in this condition."

"Well…as long as SHE'S ok," Tori sighed. "So anybody want to tell me what happened while I was out?"

Nakuru shook her head. "I think we know the best person to ask on that one. Let me just go make sure the coast is clear."

Nakuru got up, mentally beating herself over the head because she missed out on MORE alone time with Tori, and checked the aisles. There were no nurses on their way, so now was the best time.

So with that, Nakuru nodded towards Julian and he began to make that transformation into Yue.

Yue would give them the whole story and Nakuru sensed it would be a long one.

  


~--------------------~

  


**What happened to: Sakura and Li…and Kero?**

  


Just because the crystals were back in their plots for another ten thousand years and Sakura had made the wish for Xander to find a home world didn't mean all was well. Kero was still sore at her and he showed it by going into his desk drawer and not coming out.

"Kero…please come out," Sakura cried. "I said I was sorry. Please forgive me."

For the first time since they got home, Kero stuck his head out of his drawer. "I don't know if I can."

"I just want to put this behind us, Kero. Won't you please forgive me?"

"Sakura…when you said you wanted to make that wish, you really hurt me. I thought we were friends."

Sakura smiled. "We are friends, Kero. That's why I couldn't make that wish in good conscience."

"You're just saying that. You didn't go through with it…because of the brat."

Sakura sweatdropped. "That was only part of the reason. Of course Li factored into my decision. I know that I would be happy as a normal girl…but I wouldn't be TRULY happy because I wouldn't have Li anymore. But Kero…you make me happy, too. I meant what I said a few nights ago. I can't picture my life without you.

"You make life exciting. You're always there whenever I need someone to talk to. You're like no one I've ever known. And frankly…life without you…would be boring.

"And I can never forget that you've always been there for me. I love you, Kero. And I don't want to lose you. That's why I didn't make that wish. Because as much pain as I've experienced through being the Sakura Card Mistress, I've also experienced a lot of joy.

"I was stupid to even think about wanting to erase all that joy. So…will you forgive me? Please?"

Kero didn't say anything at first. Sakura had never seen him like that…since the first day they met back when she was ten and she first opened the Clow Book. They didn't really get along at first and it looked like their relationship might revert back to that state.

But then…Kero smiled one of his brighter smiles. "I can never stay mad at you, Sakura. Of course I forgive you." He flew up on her shoulder and gave her a hug. "Just don't scare me like that again, kid."

"I promise I won't," Sakura said softly.

After that hug, Kero flew back into his desk drawer. "You know, you proved something to me over these last few weeks, Sakura. You proved to me that you ARE the world's most powerful sorceress. Don't ever forget that. You can stand up to just about anything."

"You really think so?"

A voice sounded from outside the window. "I know I do."

Sakura looked outside and opened the window, letting Li slide into her room.

"Hey, brat!" Kero snapped. "Sakura and I were sharing a moment!"

"Well, you obviously forgot that Sakura and I are going out tonight," Li shot back. He smiled at Sakura. "Are you ready?"

"Just give me a few minutes," Sakura beamed. She went to check her purse. "You know something? Maybe I do make too much of this sometimes. My life IS pretty good right now. Sure I've had a lot of weird stuff happen to me, but now that I look back…I wouldn't have it any other way. So are you ready?"

Li sighed. "I just can't believe that this is the last date we'll have before we go off to college."

Silence.

Indeed, Sakura did live the life of a magician. She had a lot of unusual aspects to her life, some she enjoyed and some she didn't. And it was obvious that she wasn't a normal girl. She was an ordinary girl…with an extraordinary destiny.

But some of Sakura's life did fit the mold of a normal life…and that included…

"HOE!!!!! I FORGOT!!!!! COLLEGE STARTS ON TUESDAY!!!!!"

With college ready to start…Sakura almost wished she was back to hunting crystals. Crystal hunting couldn't be any harder that going into what was sure to be a new world.

But whatever was in store for Sakura, she would face it. She had already proven to Kero; the love of her life, Li Shoran; and the rest of the world…

…that Sakura Avalon could take on anything.

  


**THE END**

  


Author's Note: So what did you think? I'm juggling a lot of things right now, including potential story ideas…and a social life. That's not an easy thing, you know. So hopefully, I'll be back soon.

  


In the meantime, tell me what you think. Mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


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